Chinese shares close lower Monday

BEIJING, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese stocks closed lower on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.21 percent to 3,323.85 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 1.91 percent lower at 10,544.02 points.

The combined turnover of these two indices stood at nearly 1.76 trillion yuan (about 244.76 billion U.S. dollars), down from the 1.83 trillion yuan recorded on the previous trading day.

Shares in the education and cloud office sectors suffered heavy losses, while those in the banking and steel sectors led the gains.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, lost 2.35 percent to close at 2,190.95 points Monday. ■