China's stock index futures opened lower Thursday. The contract for settlement in March, the most actively traded, opened 10.6 points lower at 3,339.

The April contract opened at 3,359.2, down 4.6 points from the previous close. And the contract for settlement in June opened at 3,393.4, down 12.4 points.

The contract for settlement in September opened 12 points lower to 3,432.

The stock-index contracts, agreements to buy or sell the Hushen 300 Index at a present value on an agreed date, are designed to allow investors to bet on and profit from both gains and declines in the market.

The index futures were launched at the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) and started trading from April 16, 2010. The CFFEX has set the base value for all the four contracts at 3,399 points.