BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks rose for a fifth straight trading day on Monday, lifted by shale gas and property developer shares.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.21 percent, or 4.46 points, to finish at 2,132.76.
The Shenzhen Component Index closed at 8,829.44, up 33.02 points, or 0.38 percent.
Combined turnover on both bourses came in at 99.6 billion yuan (15.81 billion U.S. dollars), down from 130.8 billion yuan on the previous trading day.
Seventy percent of shares climbed on Thursday, with gainers outnumbering losers by 565 to 341 in Shanghai and by 970 to 451 in Shenzhen.
Shale gas producers led the rise, as the country will hold its second round of licensing for shale gas development soon.
The government will offer 20 shale gas blocks with a total acreage of 20,002 square km at an upcoming auction, sharply up from four blocks at the first auction, according to a statement from the Ministry of Land and Resources.
The auction has elicited substantial interest from more than 100 domestic companies, including Sinopec and PetroChina, the country's two largest oil producers.
Sichuan Tianyi Science and Technology Co., a leading gas exploration equipment manufacturer, rose by the 10-percent daily limit to close at 10.25 yuan per share.
Property developers also rallied on Monday, with three shares jumping by the daily limit of 10 percent, including Vanfund Real Estate Co. and Avic Real Estate Holding Co.
Bucking the trend, rare earth producers fell sharply after Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Hi-Tech Co. said its third-quarter net profits plunged 90 percent year on year.
The company's shares retreated 2.61 percent to close at 16.4 yuan per share, while its smaller rival, the Beijing Zhongke Sanhuan High-Tech Co., slid 2.15 percent to finish at 30.07 yuan.
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