China marches ta a different drummer.

Donna matter iffa other markets are gonna be down.....Ring o' Fire plays will be up..............decoupled from basic markets.............anna metals/Gold are movin' anna movin' quick ........Gold/metals went up last week when general markets were down..............dis trend will continue anna accelerate!!!

Just da way I see dat!

HardRock

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China's Stocks Advance; Moutai, Consumer Stocks Gain on Profit

By Zhang Shidong

March 3 (Bloomberg) -- China's stocks rose to the highest in more than a week on expectations new mutual funds will help absorb a flood of shares due to hit the market from initial offerings and the expiry of lockups on the trade of some equities.

Citic Securities Co. led heavyweight stocks higher after the China Securities Regulatory Commission authorized three mutual funds to begin sales, the Xinhua News Agency reported Feb. 29 after the market closed.

``The demand for equities will recover as we'll have more funds to buy them,'' said Yan Ji, an investment manager at HSBC Jintrust Fund Management Co. in Shanghai, which manages about $517 million.

Kweichow Moutai Co. jumped by the 10 percent daily limit, leading consumer-related stocks higher, after reporting an 81 percent increase in net profit for 2007.

The CSI 300 Index, which tracks yuan-denominated A shares listed on China's two exchanges, rose 116.19, or 2.5 percent, to 4,790.74, the highest close since Feb. 21.

Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. fell as holders of almost half of its issued equity were given the green light to start trading the shares today after a one-year lockup expired. Some export- related stocks, including GD Midea Electric Appliances Co., fell on expectations a slowing U.S. economy will reduce global demand for China's goods.

New Funds

Citic Securities Co., China's biggest publicly traded brokerage, gained 2.68 yuan, or 4.3 percent, to 65.54. China Merchants Bank Co., the nation's biggest dual-currency credit- card issuer, rose 1.20 yuan, or 3.8 percent, to 33.17. China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Asia's biggest oil refiner, also known as Sinopec, added 0.31 yuan, or 1.8 percent, to 17.32.

China's equities regulator said Fullgoal Fund Management Co., Wanjia Asset Management Co. and Citic-Prudential Fund Management Co. could begin selling into funds.

The regulator approved seven fund management companies to begin selling in February, ending a five-month freeze, a move aimed at supporting the market after the CSI 300 lost a fifth of its value from a record set in October.

Moutai, the maker of the eponymous fiery liquor used at official banquets, jumped 19.50 yuan to 214.50. Net income climbed to 2.88 billion yuan ($405 million), from 1.59 billion yuan in 2006, the company said in a stock exchange statement.

``Consumer stocks are a good buy, as they are benefiting from price increases amid accelerating inflation,'' said Yan.

Wuliangye Yibin Co., China's biggest spirits maker, advanced 2.08 yuan, or 5.8 percent, to 38.28. Luzhou Laojiao Co., a sprits producer in the southwestern province of Sichuan, rose 3.35 yuan, or 4.7 percent, to 75.30.

Sales Halted

Suning Appliance Co., China's second-biggest home appliance retailer, added 2.59 yuan, or 3.9 percent, to 68.65, after reporting on Feb. 29 that 2007 net profit doubled.

A measure of consumer-related stocks surged 6 percent, the most among the CSI 300's 10 industry groups, which all rose today.

Ping An Insurance, China's second-biggest insurer, lost 1.09 yuan, or 1.5 percent, to 70.11. Some ``strategic investors'' will be allowed to sell holdings representing 42 percent of the company's outstanding shares. The 3.1 billion yuan-denominated shares were sold during its Shanghai initial offering last year.

Midea, China's second-biggest publicly traded appliance maker, fell 1.26 yuan, or 2.9 percent, to 41.74. Cosco Shipping Co., a unit of China's largest shipping company, dropped 0.39 yuan, or 1 percent, to 40.14.

U.S. stocks plunged on Feb. 29, capping the market's fourth monthly drop, after the National Association of Purchasing Management-Chicago said its business barometer contracted as production and employment weakened. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index declined 2.7 percent, the most since Feb. 5.

The Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks the bigger of China's stock exchanges, rose 2.1 percent to 4,438.26. The Shenzhen Composite Index added 2.7 percent to 1,410.58.

To contact the reporter on this story: Zhang Shidong in Shanghai at szhang5@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 3, 2008 03:26 EST