China's stocks saw a mixed close on Thursday after a central bank report showed that public sentiment towards stock investment has hit its lowest point in three years.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged down 0.23 percent, or 5.77 points, to end at 2,479.06. The Shenzhen Component Index was up 0.24 percent, or 25.62 points, to finish at 10,848.02.
Aggregated turnover on the two exchanges expanded to 105.03 billion yuan (16.16 billion U.S. dollars) from 100.59 billion yuan on the previous trading day.
Citizens are more inclined to save their money amid current inflation, interest rates and income levels, according to survey results released on Thursday by the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank. Only 9.2 percent of the survey's respondents indicated that they are willing to invest in stocks, the lowest level recorded since 2009, the survey showed.
The Ministry of Commerce released data on Wednesday indicating that food prices are continuing to climb, adding to inflationary worries.
Shares of China Unicom, the country's second-largest telecom company, expanded over the previous day's gains by 3.3 percent. Other technology companies such as Goworld Electronics and Shenzhen Konka also gained.
Bank shares dropped, with China Citic Bank leading the decline by 1.91 percent. China Minsheng Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank both inched down more than 1.6 percent.
