SHANGHAI B shares rose for the first time in seven days in light trading affected by the Easter holiday in Hong Kong.
While mainland investment in B shares has accounted for as much as 40 per cent of daily trading in the past, most investors are now either based in or trade through Hong Kong.
'[Yesterday's] trading shows that investors are less interested in the market than before,' said Paul Vibert, Shanghai research head at Baring Securities.
The official B index rose 0.58 points to 54.82 on trading valued at US$600,000, down from $4.03 million on Thursday. Almost half of the 34 stocks on offer did not trade.
Yaohua Pilkington Glass boosted the index with a 4.4 per cent rise to 90 cents.
Traders said an investor who bought Yaohua stock when it was first listed at 72 cents had been selling this week, bringing the price down to its lowest level for more than a year.
'In recent weeks, people have been shifting their portfolios to reflect 1994 earnings,' said Huang Jun, head of sales at Shanghai International Securities.