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Chinese Shares Slide Amid Fears of Wider Middle East Conflict

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Chinese shares opened lower on Thursday following fresh U.S. strikes on Iran.

The Shanghai Composite Index, the main gauge of Chinese stocks, opened 1.1% lower at 3,912.38. The Shenzhen Component Index fell 1.9% to 14,497.43.

Market appetite for riskier assets was weighed down by fears of wider conflict in the Middle East.

The U.S. military announced it struck and disabled an oil tanker headed for an Iranian port in the Strait of Hormuz, employing Hellfire missiles. Meanwhile, a fresh wave of U.S. strikes has hit Iran, with reports of blasts on the southern coasts of the country.

In domestic economic news, China's new yuan loans rose to 1.61 trillion yuan in June from 520 billion yuan the previous month, topping the consensus forecast of 1.95 trillion yuan, according to Investing.com.

In the first half of 2026, new yuan loans totaled 10.72 trillion yuan, down from 12.92 trillion yuan in the same period a year earlier.

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