China stock index futures open lower Thursday

China's stock index futures opened lower on Thursday, with the contract for settlement in August, the most actively traded, down 0.08 percent to open at 2,230 points.

The contract for settlement in September was down by 0.07 percent to open at 2,333.2. The December contract opened lower at 2,353 points, and the March 2015 contract edged down 0.08 percent to open at 2,367.8.

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.