China treasury bond futures close lower Thursday

China's treasury bond futures closed lower on Thursday, with the contract for settlement in March 2015, down 0.17 percent to finish at 98.62 yuan (16.07 U.S. dollars).

The contract for settlement in June 2015 slipped 0.24 percent to close at 99.15 yuan. The contract for settlement in September 2015 went down 0.19 percent to finish at 99.766 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 and started trading on Sept. 6, 2013.