SINGAPORE - Local shares opened stronger on Monday (Jan 8), with the benchmark Straits Times Index advancing by 0.29 per cent, or 10.11 points, to 3,499.56 as at 9.02am.

Gainers outnumbered losers 85 to 39 on a turnover of 109.8 million shares worth S$89.2 million right after the opening bell.

Local equities' morning advance followed a continued surge in US stocks, which most recently saw the the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossing the 25,000 mark at closing for the first time.

Aluminium alloy product manufacturer Midas Holdings saw plenty of froth in the first few minutes of Monday trading.

The counter put on 0.2 Singapore cent, or 1.21 per cent, to S$0.168 on a volume of more than 13.4 million shares.

All three local banks started the day in good spirits.

OCBC Bank was the busy bee among the trio, adding S$0.05, or 0.39 per cent, to S$13.00, with 732,100 shares traded.