China stock index futures close lower Monday

China's stock index futures closed lower on Monday, with the contract for September, the most actively traded, closing 0.84 percent lower at 2,348 points.

The October contract fell 0.82 percent to end at 2,355.4 points. The December contract retreated 0.70 percent to end at 2,370 points. The March 2015 contract closed 0.72 percent lower at 2,385.6 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.