China stock index futures open lower Monday

China's stock index futures opened lower on Monday, with the contract for settlement in May, the most actively traded, down 12.8 points to open at 2,213.

The contract for settlement in June moved down 16.2 points to open at 2,193. The September contract opened 10.2 points lower at 2,181.4, and the December contract dropped 12 points to open at 2,178.8.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a present value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from either gains or declines in the market.

The index futures were launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.