SINGAPORE shares ended lower on Monday with the benchmark Straits Times Index down 24.54 points or 0.82 per cent to 3,007.36.

Up to 1.6 billion shares exchanged hands.

Losers outweighed gainers 433 to 236.

The US Commerce Department last week said the 0.1 per cent growth in consumer spending in February was the country's weakest in 17 months, stoking fears that the world's biggest economy is already in recession.

'We believe that investors are still concerned about the US economy. With more US data to be released this week, investors are likely to turn cautious,' Westcomb Securities said in a note.

Key US economic data expected this week include March figures for non-manufacturing activity, and the March employment data.

Banking shares slumped, with DBS Group down 42 cents at 18.00 Singapore dollars, United Overseas Bank down 22 cents at 19.14 and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp falling seven cents to 8.10.

Property shares were mixed, with CapitaLand up one cent at 6.35, City Developments down 16 cents at 11.02 and Keppel Land slipping one cent to 5.55.

Singapore Airlines dropped 10 cents to 15.60 and Singapore Telecommunications was steady at 3.91. -- AFP