China treasury bond futures close flat Thursday

China's treasury bond futures closed flat on Thursday, with the contract for settlement in September closing at 94.5 yuan (15.36 U.S. dollars).

The contract for settlement in December was slightly up by 0.01 percent to close at 94.9 yuan, and the March 2015 contract edged up by 0.05 percent to 95 yuan.

The contracts are agreements to buy or sell treasury bonds at a predetermined price and set date. They allow investors to bet on and profit from the movements in the value of the bonds.

The treasury bond futures were launched at the Shanghai-based China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading on Sept. 6, 2013.