BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed lower on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.32 percent to 4,093.25 points.
The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.88 percent lower at 15,043.45 points.
The combined turnover of the two indices totaled 2.8 trillion yuan (about 408.5 billion U.S. dollars), expanding from 2.56 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.
Precious metals, minor metals, and PET copper foil sectors were among the top decliners, while liquor, coal mining and processing, and oil and gas extraction led the gains.
The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.87 percent to close at 3,720.25 points Thursday.
The STAR Composite Index, which reflects the performance of stocks on China's sci-tech innovation board, closed 1.81 percent lower at 1,840.6 points. ■
