A shares and B shares : Initially, trading in A shares was restricted to domestic investors only, while B shares were available to both domestic and foreign investors. However, after reforms in 2002, foreign investors were allowed to trade in A shares under the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor system. There is a plan to eventually merge the two types of shares. A shares are priced in the yuan currency, while B shares are quoted in US dollars and Hong Kong dollars.
H shares : Hong Kong-traded shares of companies incorporated on the mainland and approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission for a listing in Hong Kong. H shares are traded in Hong Kong dollars, or other currencies.
Red Chips : A red chip company is a Hong Kong-traded company that has at least 30 per cent of its shares owned by mainland investors, or indirectly through companies controlled by them. The most important difference between a red chip company and an H share company is that a red chip company is not mainland-registered.
Blue Chips : Stock of a large, national company with a solid record of stable earnings and a reputation for high-quality management and products. This term is often used to describe the shares included in major stock market indices, such as the Hang Seng Index.