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What is the Shanghai index?

Shanghai index

What is the Shanghai Stock Exchange?

The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) is China's largest mainland stock exchange and the fifth largest in the world. The market trades stocks, funds and bonds from companies that have been in business and profitable for three years. Run by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the Shanghai Stock Exchange is a nonprofit organisation.

Key takeaways

  • The Shanghai Stock Exchange is China's largest mainland stock exchange and the world's fifth largest, trading stocks, bonds, and funds from profitable companies.

  • The exchange operates as a nonprofit under the China Securities Regulatory Commission and was restored in 1990 after a 41-year shutdown.

  • Unlike Hong Kong's exchange, the SSE is not entirely open to foreign investors due to government capital control and many state-run listed companies.

  • The SSE Index serves as a key barometer for mainland China's economic performance and the exchange includes three of the world's six largest companies.

  • The SSE issues A-shares priced in Renminbi yuan for domestic trading and B-shares priced in U.S. dollars for broader investment access.

The SSE Index is the most commonly used indicator of the SSE's market performance, which is often used as a barometer for the performance of mainland China's economy. It was shut down for 41 years and was restored in 1990.

What you need to know about the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

It is one of the two stock exchanges operating independently in the People's Republic of China, the other being the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Unlike the larger Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Shanghai Stock Exchange is not entirely open to foreign investors. This is because Chinese government holds tight control over the country's capital.
Many of the companies listed on the exchange are also still state-run.

The SSE's stocks include three of the world's largest six companies and the securities listed at the SSE include the three main categories of stocks, bonds, and funds. There are two types of stocks issued in the SSE: A-shares and B-shares. A-shares are priced in the local Renminbi yuan currency, while B-shares are in U.S. dollars.