A clerk counts cash at a bank in Nantong, Jiangsu province. [Photo/Sipa]

BEIJING - China's two-year treasury bond futures closed lower on Thursday, with the contract for September 2020 closing 0.08 percent lower at 100.52 yuan ($14.51).

The contract for settlement in December 2020 closed 0.07 percent lower at 100.33 yuan. The contract for settlement in March 2021 closed 0.07 percent lower at 100.16 yuan.

The contracts are agreements to buy or sell treasury bonds at a predetermined price on a set date.

They allow investors to bet on and profit from the movements in the value of the bonds.

The treasury bond futures were launched at the Shanghai-based China Financial Futures Exchange and started trading on Aug 17, 2018.