China stocks rise 2 per cent at market open after Beijing turns off circuit breakers

Shanghai: China's major stock indexes rose more than 2 percent in early trade on Friday after Beijing deactivated a circuit breaker mechanism blamed for aggravating market crashes this week.

The CSI300 index .CSI300 rose 2.4 percent to 3,371.87 points by 0127 GMT, while the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC gained 2.2 percent to 3,194.63 points.

Chinese markets have been rattled by a confluence of negative events, including weak economic data, concerns about pending share sales by major stakeholders and the central bank's recent sharp depreciation of the yuan currency.

The circuit breaker, designed to put a floor under volatile shifts in sentiment and protect investors, was blamed by some market watchers for inadvertently aggravating anxiety and accelerating the selloff.

The CSI300 has slumped around 12 percent so far in 2016, giving up all the gains earned in 2015 and roiling global financial markets.

The Hang Seng index .HSI in Hong Kong was up 0.8 percent at 20,491.88 points.