Chinese listed brokerages see revenue, profit gains in H1

BEIJING - Chinese brokerages listed on the country's mainland stock market saw their revenues and profits jump in the first half of 2019 over market strength and proprietary trading growth.

The 36 listed securities firms garnered combined operating revenues of 182.2 billion yuan ($25.7 billion) in H1, up 45 percent year-on-year, according to the companies' filings to stock exchanges.

Their total net profits surged 59 percent year-on-year to 55.4 billion yuan during the period.

CITIC Securities posted the greatest earnings, recording around 6.5 billion yuan of net profits, followed by Haitong Securities and Guotai Junan Securities.

The revenue and profit gains came in line with a 19.4-percent increase in the Shanghai Composite Index, the country's benchmark stock index, in H1.

Proprietary trading, in which brokerages trade stocks using their own money, also contributed to the earning growth.

Guosen Securities saw revenues from proprietary trading soar over 14 times to 2.3 billion yuan in H1, while China Merchants Securities' revenues from proprietary trading grew more than five times to 3 billion yuan.