BEIJING, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed mixed on Monday, with ceramic and cement industries posting the biggest gains and medical stocks losing the most.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.16 percent to 2,597.97 points, while the Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.48 percent lower at 7,592.65 points.
The combined turnover of stocks in the two indices stood at 238.3 billion yuan (about 34.5 billion U.S. dollars), shrinking from 291.93 billion yuan the previous trading day.
Ceramic and cement producers saw the strongest increases in stock prices. Guangdong Songfa Ceramics jumped 4.53 percent, while Sichuan Shuangma Cement rose 2.46 percent.
Companies in the medical sector were the heaviest losers. Beijing Wandong Medical Technology fell 4.81 percent. Top Choice Medical Investment slipped 3.12 percent.
The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, lost 0.86 percent to close at 1,299.17 points Monday.
