All four major indices fell at the open, with more than 2,500 stocks down as semiconductor themes lagged while humanoid robots, AI applications and nuclear fusion advanced.
China's A-share market opened broadly weaker on August 3, with all four major benchmarks starting in the red and decliners outnumbering advancers by a wide margin. The Shanghai Composite Index opened down 0.51%, the Shenzhen Component Index fell 0.6%, the ChiNext Index dropped 0.71%, and the STAR Market Composite Index declined 0.78%. Semiconductor materials, memory, HBM (high-bandwidth memory), PCB (printed circuit board) and lithography-related shares were broadly weak, while nuclear fusion, humanoid robots, AI applications and PEEK (high-performance engineering plastic) materials stocks rose against the trend. More than 2,500 stocks were trading lower, while SSE-listed Xiamen Xiangyu (600057.SS) fell more than 2% after a fire broke out at a warehouse operated by Qingdao Xiangyu Suchuan Supply Chain Co., Ltd. in Qingdao at about 5 p.m. on August 2. Authorities said no one was trapped or injured, and the cause was under investigation. Everbright Securities said the market faces several uncertainties, including unresolved geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and continued pressure from the late-stage mid-year earnings reporting season, as investors avoid companies that miss expectations. The brokerage said confidence for a broad-based rally would be hard to restore quickly and that the market may remain in a pattern of structural oscillation under existing capital conditions in the near term. Analysts also flagged rapid sector rotation and warned investors to watch volatility risks in crowded thematic trades.