Chinese shares flat in morning trade

SHANGHAI – Chinese shares were flat in morning trade Monday, as investors continued to fret over the country’s stubbornly high inflation rate, dealers said.

The Shanghai Composite Index, which covers both A and B shares, edged down 0.03 percent, or 0.64 points, to 2,430.74.

The government said last week that China’s consumer price index rose 6.1 percent in September from a year earlier, slowing only marginally from an annual rise of 6.2 percent in August.

Inflation hit a more than three-year high of 6.5 percent in July, stoking fears that higher consumer prices may spark social unrest.