BEIJING -- China's stock index futures closed lower Thursday, with the contract for July, the most actively traded, down 0.93 percent from the previous trading day to 2,444.8 points.

The August contract fell 0.95 percent to close at 2,451.6 points. The September contract shed 0.94 percent to 2,461.6 points, while the December contract retreated 1.01 percent to finish at 2,489 points.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a preset value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from both gains and declines in the market.

The index futures was launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.