Mainland China share market finished session edged higher on Friday, 15 March 2024, as the country's central bank left its key policy rate unchanged, preventing the yield gap from widening further.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it was keeping the rate on the one-year medium-term lending facility (MLF) loans to some financial institutions unchanged at 2.50% from the previous operation. Market participants were concerning that cutting rates before a widely expected move by the Federal Reserve would widen yield differentials, potentially putting more pressure on the yuan, which has depreciated 1.3% against the dollar so far this year.

At close of trade, the benchmark Shanghai Composite index advanced 0.54%, or 16.40 points, to 3,054.64. The Shenzhen Composite Index, which t...

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  (01-Jan-16 08:45)

  Market may edge higher in early trade
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  (01-Jan-16 08:55)

  Metal stocks may slide on weak Chinese data
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  (01-Jan-16 09:34)

  Market drops in early trade
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  (01-Jan-16 10:17)

  Strong market breadth