Chinese equities dropped to a seven-month low Tuesday, after the central bank said Sunday it would raise the deposit reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for most financial institutions for the third time this year.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.23 percent to close at 2,835.28 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index fell 1.81 percent to 10,960.77 points.

Total turnover shrank to 141.55 billion yuan (20.7 billion U.S. dollars) from 191.91 billion yuan on the previous trading day.

Losers outnumbered gainers by 533 to 347 in Shanghai and 488 to 429 in Shenzhen.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2010)