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(Yicai Global) Aug 2 -- China's mainland stock indexes fell sharply in the morning, whereas gold and rare earth equities, as well as Star Market tech stocks rose.
The Shanghai Composite Index opened 1.6 percent lower at 2,861.33. The Shenzhen Component Index slumped 2.4 percent to 9,049.35. The ChiNext Price Index, which tracks growth enterprises listed in Shenzhen, dropped 2.2 percent to 1,539.92 points.
Rare earth stocks climbed 2.8 percent on average and gold-related shares inched up 0.8 percent. Shanghai's Star Market equities jumped 4.8 percent by 10.00 a.m.
Editor: Emmi Laine