BEIJING - China's stock index futures closed lower Thursday, with the contract for February down 0.33 percent from the previous trading day to 2,533.6 points.

The March contract, the most actively traded, fell 0.4 percent to 2,544 points. The June contract dipped 0.56 percent to 2,563.2 points, while the September contract was down 0.41 percent to finish at 2,593 points.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a preset value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from both gains and declines in the market.

The index futures was launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.