Q4 trade hopes spark mild rise in stock prices

Benchmark indexes close higher, led by logistics and equipment firms as signs of recovery, stability brighten

Equities rose slightly on Tuesday after reports of better foreign trade prospects in the fourth quarter helped the benchmark index post its fifth consecutive increase.

Shares of nearly 100 companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses surged by 10 percent (see table below), the maximum permissible daily limit, with logistics and equipment companies leading the rally. Declines in large-cap stocks from banking and energy sectors, however, crimped the surge in the benchmark index.