SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese highly volatile shares ended lower again on Wednesday after plunging on Tuesday, taking losses in 2016 to about 22 percent or 12 trillion yuan ($1.8 trillion).
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended down 0.5 percent, having been up in the morning and as much as 4 percent lower during the day. It tumbled 6.4 percent on Tuesday to its lowest close since Dec. 1, 2014.
The CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen ended down 0.3 percent after a similar rollercoaster ride.
China markets began the year with a series of precipitous falls and a sharp depreciation in the yuan currency, and selling pressure has persisted as economic data confirmed slowing growth and deteriorating business conditions, hammering investors' confidence in stocks.
Gu Yongtai, analyst at Cinda Securities, said the prospect of investors having to sell stocks they bought with borrowed money in order to cover margin calls has also hurt sentiment.
"There's fear that stock price falls would trigger margin calls, which then adds further pressure on prices, although the actual amount of forced liquidation is not as big as people would imagine," Gu said.
Four listed companies suspended trading in their shares on Wednesday, saying their major shareholders, who have pledged shares as collateral, face margin calls and would seek ways to avoid forced liquidation.
"If the market continues to fall, equity pledging-related selling pressure could increase significantly, putting further pressure on the stock market," said Gao Ting, the Head of China Strategy with UBS Securities.Trading volumes have thinned, making price moves even more volatile, as many investors have given up on Chinese stocks since last summer, when shares crashed 40 percent.
Beijing intervened to stem that rout and orchestrate a recovery of sorts, but anyone who mistook that for a bottom and bought back in will be nursing losses again.
China's woes have damaged risk appetite in global markets, too, along with tumbling oil prices.