Chinese shares edge up Thursday with trading thin

Source: Xinhua | 2018-08-24

Chinese shares closed higher Thursday with strong performance of bio-fuel producers and animal vaccine-makers, but trading remained subdued.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.37 percent to finish at 2,724.62, while the Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.55 percent higher at 8,501.39.

Trading remained thin, with the combined turnover on the two bourses standing at 252.2 billion yuan (about 36.9 billion U.S. dollars), slightly up from the previous trading day.

Buoyed by the country's new policy promoting the use of ethanol as a renewable biofuel, related companies registered strong growth.

Shaanxi Xinghua Chemistry saw its shares surge by almost the daily limit of 10 percent to close at 4.74 yuan, while Hy Energy Group bagged a 5-percent increase to finish at 9.1 yuan.

Animal vaccine-makers were also among the top performers amid reports of African swine fever cases. Coal, steel and cement producers were among the biggest losers.