Chinese stocks fall after probes of brokers launched

The Shanghai Composite Index on Friday fell 5.2 per cent before recovering slightly

Beijing

: China's main stock market index fell more than 5 per cent after two of the country's biggest securities firms announced they are under investigation for possible misconduct.

The Shanghai Composite Index on Friday fell 5.2 per cent before recovering slightly. The decline was led by CITIC Securities and Guosen Securities, which fell by the full 10 per cent daily limit following announcements by both that they were under investigation.

A growing string of Chinese securities executives have been detained or questioned by regulators following a plunge in share prices that began in early June. The announcements by CITIC and Guosen were the first that brokerages themselves were being investigated.