Stocks close lower, snap four-day rally

China's stocks declined for the first time in four days amid volatile trade as a slump in the nation's exports countered optimism the government will take extra measures to boost domestic demand.

China Shipping Development Co, the nation's biggest oil carrier, slid 4.2 percent after the country's exports fell the most in almost 13 years. Guizhou Moutai Co, the nation's biggest liquor maker by market value, gained 3.6 percent after the Shanghai Securities News reported the government may approve a stimulus plan for light industries soon.

"Economic fundamentals are still bleak," said Yan Ji, an investment manager at HSBC Jintrust Fund Management Co in Shanghai, which manages about $850 million. "People believe the government will implement stimulus measures to help different industries."