Physical AI Stocks Lead Gains as Humanoid Robot Sector Revives

At the midday close, the Shanghai Composite moved in a narrow range and edged down 0.08% to 3,727.75, while the Shenzhen Component rose 0.18% to 11,838.88. The ChiNext Index gained 0.27% to 2,753.81, the STAR 50 added 0.79% to 1,339.66, and the Beijing Stock Exchange 50 jumped 4.11% to 985.02, highlighting divergent performance across the main boards.

Sector rotation favored technology and manufacturing themes. Physical AI, automation equipment, lighting equipment, wireless earbuds, machine vision, Wi-Fi, reducers and mixed reality led the gainers. Maritime equipment, ground armaments, coal, insurance, commercial vehicles and banks lagged, keeping index gains in check.

Market breadth remained positive. A total of 3,915 stocks advanced, 1,507 declined and 60 closed limit-up. Combined half-day turnover across the two markets reached 933.5 billion yuan, indicating active participation despite the benchmark's flat tone. Gainers outnumbered losers by more than two to one.

The renewed strength in humanoid robots and the leadership of the physical AI concept pointed to rising interest in embodied intelligence and smart manufacturing. Trading remained concentrated in thematic names, while the main Shanghai benchmark struggled for direction. With traditional cyclicals underperforming, the session looked more like a structural rally than a broad index-driven advance.