China stocks end lower as healthcare, industrials firms weigh

SHANGHAI: Chinese shares closed lower on Thursday, with healthcare and industrials stocks leading the declines, as investors looked past policymakers' vow to balance the need for stable economic growth and preventing financial risks.

The blue-chip CSI300 index ended 0.3% lower at 4,777.98, while the Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.4% to 3,312.50.

The CSI300 healthcare index dropped 1.6% as vaccine makers retreated, while the CSI300 industrials shed 1.1%.

Sectors that have made robust gains so far this year are seeing some correction on worries over their lofty valuations, said Fu Yanping, an analyst with China Galaxy Securities.

Market participants are also cautious ahead of the U.S. presidential election, although Chinese investors aren't taking much action to deal with the related risks as the link between the A-share market and U.S. equities has weakened, Fu said.

China will strike a balance between stabilising economic growth and preventing risks, even as debt was allowed to temporarily rise this year to support the coronavirus-hit economy, the head of the central bank Yi Gang said.

China's fiscal revenues grew 4.7% in the third quarter, compared with a year earlier, reversing a 7.4% drop in the previous quarter, the finance ministry said.

Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.42%, while Japan's Nikkei index closed down 0.7%.

At 0707 GMT, the yuan was quoted at 6.6668 per U.S. dollar, down 0.25%.

As of 0708 GMT, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 45.90% over Hong Kong-listed H-shares.