BEIJING - China's Hushen 300 index futures closed higher on Thursday, with the contract for July 2020 up 1.44 percent to finish at 4,835.8 points.

The August 2020 contract gained 1.46 percent to close at 4,820 points. The September 2020 contract was up 1.41 percent to finish at 4,808 points. The December 2020 contract went up 1.42 percent to finish at 4,797.6 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 either gains or declines in the market.

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