China stock index futures open mostly lower Wednesday

China's stock index futures opened mostly lower on Wednesday, with the contract for settlement in June, the most actively traded, opening flat at 2,173.4.

The contract for settlement in July lost 1.4 points to open at 2,167. The September contract opened at 2,172.2, down 1.4 points, and the December contract opened flat at 2,186.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to trade 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.