CSI 300 completes worst month ever

The benchmark CSI 300 Index fell 0.9% to 2,791.82 on Tuesday, taking its June decline to 23%, the worst monthly performance since it was introduced in April 2005, Bloomberg reported. Financial companies led yesterday’s declines after Zhou Xiaochuan, head of China’s central bank, told reporters in Basel, Switzerland that said he wouldn’t rule out an interest rate increase to curb inflation. Two airlines, Air China and China Southern Airlines gained after regulators agreed to raise ticket surcharges to help cover rising fuel costs. The CSI 300 has fallen 48% this year, the most among benchmark indexes in the world’s 20 biggest equity markets.