Shares close higher as central bank resumes its market cash injections
Chinese stocks rose for the fourth straight trading day on Monday as liquidity concerns eased after the central bank resumed cash injections into the money market.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went up by 0.63 percent to end the day at 3,216.84 points, and the Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.83 percent higher at 10,270.83 points.
The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 0.47 percent to close at 1,913.68 points.
Turnover shrank to 484 billion yuan ($70 billion) from 559 billion yuan the previous trading day.
China's central bank injected 100 billion yuan into the financial system through open market operations on Monday to offset the effect of maturing securities. The central bank had refrained from open market operations since Feb 4, citing a "relatively high level" of liquidity.
Last week, the central bank allowed the withdrawal of 625 billion yuan from the market, draining some of the huge funds added ahead of the Lunar New Year.
The restart of such operations comes with some 900 billion yuan of reverse repos set to mature this week, creating liquidity strain on the market that will put central bank operations under close market watch.
Liquor producers, banks and construction materials led the rises on Monday. Yanghe Brewery surged 7.4 percent to close at 80.55 yuan per share, while Bank of Nanjing gained 2.59 percent to close at 11.87 yuan per share.