BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Major Chinese stock indices ended lower Thursday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.02 percent to end at 2,940.92 points.

File photo: VCG

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.13 percent lower at 9,555.76 points.

The combined trading volume of stocks in the two indexes shrank to 360.28 billion yuan (about 50.94 billion U.S. dollars) from 368.32 billion yuan the previous trading day.

Most stocks dropped, with losers outnumbering gainers by 700 to 692 on the Shanghai bourse and 1,080 to 955 in Shenzhen.

Companies related to natural gas, digital currency and poultry husbandry mostly gained, with the share price of Guizhou Gas Group Corporation Ltd. in natural gas business and Shenzhen Forms Syntron Information Co.,Ltd. in digital currency business climbing by the daily limit of 10 percent.

Meanwhile, companies in nonferrous metals and logistics were among the biggest losers.

The ChiNext Index, China's NASDAQ-style board of growth enterprises, gained 0.22 percent to close at 1,653.86 points.