Chinese shares close lower Thursday

BEIJING - Chinese stocks closed lower on Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.36 percent, at 3,584.21 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.65 percent lower at 14,761.13 points.

The combined turnover of stocks covered by the two indices stood at 955.8 billion yuan ($149.8 billion), down from 1.01 trillion yuan the previous trading day.

Shares related to steel and baijiu (distilled spirits) led the gains, while those in the automobile sector were among the biggest losers.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, lost 1.27 percent to close at 3,201.78 points Thursday.