It is becoming increasingly difficult for Chinese traders to make a quick buck from investing in stocks. Throughout the past seven weeks, the daily gain or loss in the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has not exceeded 1 per cent. The China Securities Regulatory Commission has repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining market stability as the ruling Communist Party is scheduled to start its national congress on Wednesday to elect the new leadership. In an internal meeting last week, CSRC chairman Liu Shiyu reiterated that the regulator should hold onto the bottom line of guarding against systemic risks and that the capital market should serve the real economy. Gains on the Shanghai index have slowed after it hit a 21-month high on October 13. The gauge dropped 0.4 per cent on Monday, paring its advance this year to 8.9 per cent.