Chinese mainland shares close higher

Chinese mainland stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.28 percent to 3,236.03 points. The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.41 percent higher at 10,101.1 points. The combined turnover covered by the two indexes stood at 1.27 trillion yuan ($173.22 billion), up from 1.19 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Yuan strengthens against greenback

The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 2 pips to 7.1881 against the US dollar on Thursday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System. The yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day.

Xinhua - China Daily