Chinese shares close lower Tuesday

Chinese stocks closed lower on Tuesday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.37 percent to 3,909.52 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.39 percent lower at 13,277.36 points.

The combined turnover of these two indices stood at 1.92 trillion yuan (about 271.3 billion U.S. dollars), down from 2.04 trillion yuan on the previous trading day.

Shares related to co-packaged optics and photovoltaic equipment led the gains, while those related to nonferrous metals suffered major losses.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 0.61 percent to close at 3,209.60 points Tuesday.

Chinese shares close lower Tuesday

Oil prices increased slightly on Wednesday.

The West Texas Intermediate for January delivery increased by 21 cents, or 0.36 percent, to settle at 58.46 U.S. dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude for February delivery went up 27 cents, or 0.44 percent, to settle at 62.21 dollars a barrel on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

Crude futures settle higher