Why it matters
- China's CSI 300 fell 1.09% to 4,310.28 and the Shanghai Composite lost 0.79% to 3,811.90 on Thursday, Oct. 8, the first session since Sept. 30.
- While Shanghai and Shenzhen were shut, Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.96% and Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 4.92%. Both fell about 1.4% on Thursday.
- The People's Bank of China set the yuan's daily reference rate at 6.7367 per dollar, a touch weaker than the 6.7351 fixing on Sept. 30.
Analysis: this piece includes our interpretation of the facts reported.
Mainland Chinese stocks fell on Thursday, Oct. 8, as Shanghai and Shenzhen reopened after the Golden Week holiday. The CSI 300 index of the biggest listed companies dropped 1.09% to 4,310.28, according to China Securities Index Co. The Shanghai Composite fell 0.79% to 3,811.90, a more than two-month low, Trading Economics reported.
Both exchanges had been closed since the end of trading on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Northbound and southbound Stock Connect trading with Hong Kong was also shut from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7 and resumed Thursday, according to the Hong Kong exchange's 2026 trading calendar.
How did China's markets trade after Golden Week?
Lower, with smaller companies hit hardest. The Shenzhen Component index fell 2.07% to 12,620.90, a more than 10-month low, Trading Economics said. Trading was busy. Shares in the CSI 300 traded 446.2 billion yuan on Thursday, up from 356.5 billion yuan on Sept. 30, China Securities Index data show.
| Market | Sept. 30 close | Oct. 7 close | Oct. 8 close | Change since Sept. 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSI 300 (China) | 4,357.62 | Closed | 4,310.28 | −1.09% |
| Shanghai Composite | 3,842.20 | Closed | 3,811.90 | −0.79% |
| Shenzhen Component | 12,887.62 | Closed | 12,620.90 | −2.07% |
| Hang Seng (Hong Kong) | 24,613.27 | 24,130.50 | 23,785.79 | −3.36% |
| Nikkei 225 (Japan) | 66,753.72 | 70,035.71 | 69,042.11 | +3.43% |
| S&P 500 (U.S.) | 7,651.54 | 7,801.77 | Not yet open | +1.96% to Oct. 7 |
| STOXX Europe 600 | 634.89 | 630.25 | Trading | −0.73% to Oct. 7 |
Source: China Securities Index Co. (CSI 300); Yahoo Finance chart data (other indexes). Hong Kong was closed Oct. 1.
Laggards in Shanghai and Shenzhen included Foxconn Industrial Internet, down 4.31%, Zhongji Innolight, down 3.15%, China Life Insurance, down 2.07%, and battery maker CATL, down 1.50%, according to Trading Economics.
What happened while China was closed?
Markets split. Japan's Nikkei 225 rallied 4.92% from Sept. 30 to Oct. 7 and closed above 70,000, as covered in our Nikkei and yen analysis. The S&P 500 rose 1.96% over the same stretch, Yahoo Finance data show.
Hong Kong went the other way. The Hang Seng reopened Oct. 2 without mainland buyers, as our report on Hong Kong's reopening noted, and lost 1.96% by Oct. 7. Global bond yields also climbed during the week; see our analysis of the long-bond selloff.
Why did Asian stocks fall on Thursday?
Higher interest rates and oil. Trading Economics tied the declines to higher U.S. Treasury yields and worries that rates will stay high for longer. The Hang Seng fell 1.43% to 23,785.79, with Lenovo down 8.1% and SMIC down 6.7%, the site said. The Nikkei 225 fell 1.42% to 69,042.11.
Brent crude rose to about $105 a barrel on Thursday, up about 4.7%, on worries about supply from the Middle East and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Trading Economics reported.
What did the yuan do?
It barely moved. The People's Bank of China set its daily midpoint at 6.7367 per dollar on Thursday, against 6.7351 on Sept. 30, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System. A higher number means a slightly weaker yuan. The offshore yuan traded near 6.70 per dollar in European hours, Yahoo Finance data show.
Track China, Hong Kong and Japan on our world markets page and upcoming holidays and central bank meetings on the economic calendar.
Sources
- China Securities Index Co., CSI 300 daily performance, Sept. 25–Oct. 8, 2026
- Trading Economics, China stock market (Shanghai Composite)
- Trading Economics, Hong Kong stock market (Hang Seng)
- Trading Economics, Japan stock market (Nikkei 225)
- Trading Economics, Brent crude oil
- Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Trading calendar of Stock Connect, 2026
- China Foreign Exchange Trade System, USD/CNY central parity history, Sept. 25–Oct. 8, 2026
- Yahoo Finance chart data: Shanghai Composite (000001.SS), Shenzhen Component (399001.SZ), Hang Seng (^HSI), Nikkei 225 (^N225), S&P 500 (^GSPC), STOXX Europe 600 (^STOXX) and offshore yuan (CNH=X)