Chinese shares close mixed Thursday, brokerage continues to rally

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- CHINESE stocks closed mixed on Thursday, with trading in the brokerage sector particularly robust, following a strong performance yesterday.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged up 0.14 percent to close at 3,106.42, and the Shenzhen Component Index saw a decrease of 0.23 percent to stand at 9,678.11.

Combined trading volume of the two indexes came in at 1.17 trillion yuan (around 174 billion U.S. dollars), breaking the 1-trillion level the third time this week.

Gainers outnumbered losers 1,016 to 402 on the Shanghai bourse and 1,468 to 617 on the Shenzhen bourse.

Brokerage companies remained one of the biggest winners after the strong performance yesterday, with the sub-index up by 4.94 percent. Many brokerages including Haitong Securities Co. Ltd., CSC Financial Co. Ltd. and Caitong Securities Co. Ltd. all climbed by the 10-percent daily limit.

The domestic software industry also posted significant rises, with stocks of Shenzhen Kingdom Sci-tech Co., Ltd and China National Software Service Co., Ltd surging by the daily limit of 10 percent as well.

The brewing sector, however, suffered continuous setback for two days in a row. Shanxi Xinghuacun Fen Wine Factory Co. Ltd. fell 4.23 percent to 52.77 yuan per share.

The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board, lost 0.48 percent to close at 1,692.42 Thursday.