Margin loans to buy equities in China have risen to their highest level in five years, prompting fears that speculation on rising prices could lead to a rerun of a notorious stock market bubble that burst in 2015.

Total margin finance in China reached Rmb1.27tn ($184bn) on Tuesday after more than a week of consecutive daily increases, according to Wind, a data service. Separate figures show investors rushing to open new accounts that give them access to loans from brokers.

The CSI 300 index, a gauge of the country’s biggest stocks listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, leapt almost 6 per cent on Monday and continued to climb on the following days, after state media extolled the benefits of a “healthy” bull market at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has hit economic activity.