Chinese shares close mixed on PMI data

Chinese shares closed mixed on Thursday, the first trading day after the three-day Labor Day holiday, following the release of economic data for April.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index went down 0.17 percent, or 3.79 points, to end at 2,174.12, while the Shenzhen Component Index moved up 0.31 percent, or 26.81 points, to 8,718.20.

Combined turnover on the two bourses shrank to 121.8 billion yuan (19.78 billion U.S. dollars) from 140.49 billion yuan the previous trading day.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector fell to 50.6 percent in April from 50.9 percent in March, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said on Wednesday.

Although the PMI stayed above 50 percent for a seventh consecutive month in April, the slight retreat indicated slower growth in the manufacturing sector.

A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

In addition, 2,469 A-share companies issued their annual reports for 2012, showing no increase in total net profits, the slowest growth since 2008.

The coal, liquor and nonferrous metal sectors fell by 3.19, 2.49 and 1.89 percent, respectively, leading the declines. Kailuan Energy Chemical Co., Ltd. and Gansu Jingyuan Coal Industry and Electricity Power Co., Ltd. both dropped by the daily limit of 10 percent.

Companies in the culture and media sectors rose 3.36 percent and the environmental protection sector rebounded 2.38 percent from a dive of 3.48 percent on the previous trading day.

The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's NASDAQ-style board for growth enterprises, surged 2.73 percent, with four shares hitting the 10-percent daily limit.