China stock index futures open higher Monday

China's stock index futures opened higher on Monday, with the contract for settlement in June, the most actively traded, up 4.2 points to open at 2,181.

The contract for settlement in July added 5.4 points to open at 2,175.4. The September contract opened 1.4 points higher at 2,176.6, and the December contract climbed 10 points to open at 2,199.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to trade the Hushen 300 Index at a present value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from either gains or declines in the market.

The index futures were launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010.