Datang International Power Generation Co surged 9.13 percent to 10.64 yuan while GD Power Development Co advanced 9.94 percent to 6.97 yuan.

Electricity producers are losing money as rising coal prices and government-capped tariffs erode earnings. The government is studying policy measures to help power companies, Li Rongrong, director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, said last month.

Haitong Securities, the second largest brokerage, advanced 10 percent to 22.17 yuan while Citic Securities also hiked 9.77 percent to 25.95 yuan.

In the banking sector, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the nation's biggest lender, jumped 3.39 percent to 5.18 yuan while Bank of China, the third largest, climbed 3.70 percent to 4.20 yuan.

Bank of China said yesterday that it will focus on growing its domestic business after the United States subprime mortgage market collapse left it with US$1.5 billion in write downs and the appreciation of the yuan hurt its foreign currency holdings.

(Shanghai Daily June 20, 2008)