The Shanghai Composite finished up 4.5 per cent, marking its biggest two-day gain — 10.6 per cent — since 2008. The tech-heavy Shenzhen Composite and the small-cap ChiNext board each 4.1 per cent. Only seven Chinese stocks fell while more than 1,000 companies hit their daily upward limit of 10 per cent, as investors rushed to buy whatever is still trading. More than 1,400 stocks remain suspended, or about half of all listed companies. China’s two benchmark indices have lost nearly a third of their value in the past month, but began to recover on Thursday after Beijing banned stock sales by big stakeholders and allowed funds from the central bank to be used for buying shares. On Thursday, the Shanghai Composite rallied 5.8 per cent, notching its best session since 2009.