BEIJING — The Beijing Stock Exchange said on Sept 2 it would launch its first benchmark index, a further step to facilitate the platform serving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The index, a broad-based index that comprises 50 representative companies listed on the Beijing bourse, is set to reflect the overall performance of the market, according to the bourse.

The Beijing bourse said that it would further enrich the index system, building it into a barometer that measures the overall development of innovative SMEs.

The bourse on Sept 2 also solicited public opinions on the detailed rules of margin trading and securities lending, which is expected to optimize the trading mechanism and improve the pricing function of the market.