Chinese stocks closed slightly lower on Monday, as analysts said liquidity pressure offset upbeat industrial profit data.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index edged down 0.08 percent to close at 3,266.96 points, while the smaller Shenzhen index dropped 0.61 percent to 10,581.92 points.
The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's NASDAQ-style enterprises, lost 0.9 percent to close at 1,947.53 points.
Combined turnover reached 537.3 billion yuan (78.2 billion U.S. dollars).
Tight market liquidity weighed on stock prices, Bohai Securities said in a research note.
However, it said that there was no need for investors to worry too much, citing strong economic fundamentals.
China's major industrial companies registered a 31.5 percent profit growth year on year in January and February, outpacing 2016 by 23 percentage points, official data showed Monday.
Shares of the military industry posted strong increases Monday, with the Sichuan Nitrocell rising by the daily limit of 10 percent.
Liquor makers declined the most, with Kweichow Moutai shares dropping 2.07 percent to 378.82 yuan.
