China Stocks Wobble on Tighter Margin Rules

2026-01-15 02:37 By Jam Kaimo Samonte 1 min. read

The Shanghai Composite fell 0.33% to close at 4,113, while the Shenzhen Component gained 0.41% to 14,306 in mixed trade on Thursday, with mainland stocks struggling for clear direction as stricter margin requirements kept the recent market rally in check.

On Wednesday, Chinese regulators raised the minimum margin for stock financing to 100% from 80%, reinforcing Beijing’s push to curb excess risk in capital markets.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to China, with the US set to claim 25% of proceeds.

However, reports emerged that Chinese customs may block the chips.

Notable losses were seen from tech and defense stocks such as BlueFocus Intelligent (-14.9%), East Money Informatiojn (-2.7%), Addsino Co (-7.5%) and China Spacesat (-10%).

Meanwhile, artificial intelligence-linked firms outperformed, including Zhongji Innolight (5.4%), Eoptolink Technology (4.2%) and Luxshare Precision (7.1%).



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