China shares rebound on bullish comment from economic officials

Chinese stocks surged Monday as news of bullish government comment on the economy calmed investor jitters over economic policy and catastrophic winter storms.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 8.1 percent, or 350.85 points, to 4,671.62. The Shenzhen Composite Index of China's second, smaller market jumped 7.9 percent to 1,375.73.

The rebound followed a bleak spell that took the Shanghai benchmark to a six-month low last week, nearly 30 percent below the record high of 6,124.04 that it hit in mid-October.

Among top gainers, Aluminum Corp. of China surged by the daily 10 percent limit to 32.34 yuan after announcing late Friday that it …