July 22: STAR Market begins trading

China's STAR Market, or science and technology innovation board, a new stock venue for technology companies, started trading at the Shanghai Stock Exchange at 9:30 am on July 22.

The Nasdaq-like STAR Market was officially launched on June 13. SSE accepted listing applications by July 4 from 141 companies, of which 118 received their first round of inquiry from the exchange.

The launch of the STAR Market in Shanghai was seen by analysts as a milestone event in the development of China's capital market. The board in the long run will likely have significant impact on the A-share market's valuations and investment choices.