BLUE chips in Singapore inched upwards on Monday amid mixed performances in regional markets.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 2.1 per cent after strong economic data from mainland China but the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo lost 0.7 per cent after disappointing growth numbers from Japan.

In Singapore, the blue-chip Straits Times Index was up by 2.33 points or 0.07 per cent at 3,232.24.

Commodities trader Noble Group lost 1.5 cents or 1.6 per cent to 90 cents.

It was the first trading session since the company last Wednesday evening announced that second quarter earnings fell 68 per cent to US$62.8 million, from US$194.8 million a year ago.

Blue chips generally underperformed smaller caps, including those on the secondary Catalist board.

Across the market, 222 stocks rose while 177 were lower.