Chinese shares close lower Thursday

BEIJING - Chinese stocks closed lower on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.47 percent, at 2,889.69 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.27 percent lower at 9,622.14 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by the two indices stood at 317.9 billion yuan ($45.24 billion), shrinking from 355.6 billion yuan in the previous trading day.

Most stocks fell, with losers outnumbering gainers by 945 to 440 on the Shanghai bourse and 1,350 to 703 in Shenzhen.

Companies in the sectors of real estate posted strong performance, with shares of Hainan Jingliang Holdings Co Ltd surging by 9.94 percent to close at 5.64 yuan per share.

Shares related to financial trust led the losses.

The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.04 percent to close at 1,673.79 points.