SINGAPORE - Singapore shares opened 0.2 per cent higher on Thursday (April 12), with the Straits Times Index up 7.83 points to 3,487.59 as at 9.04am.

Stocks in Asia were mixed in early trading on Thursday as tensions continued to rise in the Middle East and investors continued to monitor the Federal Reserve's outlook on monetary-policy.

On the Singapore Exchange, about 64 million shares worth S$124 million in total changed hands as gainers outnumbered losers 75 to 54.

The most actively traded stock was Rowsley, which rose S$0.003 to S$0.127 with 172.7 million shares changing hands.

Other actives included KrisEnergy and AusGroup.

On Wall Street, the Dow finished down 0.9 per cent at 24,189.45. The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 0.6 per cent to 2,642.19, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index shed 0.4 per cent to 7,069.03.

In regional markets, Japan's Topix index fell 0.2 per cent as of 9.43am in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index was little changed and South Korea's Kospi index rose 0.4 per cent.