BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's five-year treasury bond futures opened mixed on Monday, with the contract for settlement in March 2018 opening 0.03 percent higher at 96.29 yuan (about 14.85 U.S. dollars).

The contract for settlement in June 2018 opened 0.02 percent higher at 96.56 yuan. The contract for settlement in September 2018 opened at 96.56 yuan, 0.27 percent lower from the previous close.

The contracts are agreements to buy or sell treasury bonds at a predetermined price and set date. They allow investors to bet on and profit from the movements in the value of the bonds.

The treasury bond futures were launched at the Shanghai-based China Financial Futures Exchange and started trading on Sept. 6, 2013.

(This article is generated by Xinhua News Robot.)