China stock index futures close lower Wednesday

China's stock index futures closed lower on Wednesday, with the contract for August closing 0.41 percent lower at 2,362 points.

The September contract shed 0.47 percent to end at 2,369 points. The December contract lost 0.4 percent to end at 2,387 points. The contract for March 2015 closed 0.48 percent lower at 2,413 points.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a preset 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 was launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.