Shanghai stocks fall after four days of prices rising

The Shanghai Composite Index fell for the first time since last Wednesday, dipping in the final hour of trading to end the day at 3924.49, down 1.2%, Bloomberg reported. The fall follows the introduction of a host of measures by the government to push stock prices back up after a record wipeout of nearly US$4 trillion in value. “It looks like the 4000-point level is where the government wants the market to stabilize,” said Wei Wei, an analyst at Huaxi Securities Co. in Shanghai. “The market may take some time to consolidate here after the recent run-up.”