Share Prices Open Slightly Higher on Year's 1st Trading Day

Chinese share prices opened slightly higher on Wednesday, the first trading day in the new year.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks both A and B shares trade on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, opened at 5,265.00 points, up 3.44 points.

But it fell by 40 points, or 0.77 percent within half an hour.

After gaining 2,586.09 points in the previous year, the benchmark index closed at 5,261.56 points on Dec. 28, the last trading day of 2007.