ChiNext stocks opened lower Friday, with the ChiNext Index down 0.87 percent to open at 989.68.

The index, officially launched Tuesday on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, has a base value of 1,000 points.

The ChiNext Index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and the Shenzhen SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) Board Index makes up the three core indices reflecting the performance of China's stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.