Singapore stocks close higher even as region spills red ink
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The benchmark Straits Times Index rose 0.2 per cent or 6.02 points to close at 3,306.02.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Navene Elangovan
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SINGAPORE - Singapore shares ended in the black on June 21, bucking the trend of their regional counterparts.
The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) rose 0.2 per cent, or 6.02 points, to close at 3,306.02. Across the broader market, decliners outnumbered advancers 297 to 290, with 1.7 billion securities worth $1.6 billion changing hands.
The biggest gainer on the STI was DFI Retail, which climbed 2.7 per cent, or five US cents, to US$1.92.
Offshore and marine company Seatrium saw the biggest drop on the index. The counter fell 1.9 per cent, or three cents, to $1.52.
Singtel remained the most actively traded counter by volume for a second consecutive day, with 42.9 million shares worth $113.3 million traded. Its shares rose 0.4 per cent, or one cent, to close at $2.64.
Markets across the region ended mostly in the red.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.1 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.8 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 1.7 per cent. Australia’s ASX 200, however, closed 0.3 per cent higher.
Mr Yeap Jun Rong, a market analyst at IG, said the mixed closing on Wall Street overnight did not offer much of a clear direction for regional markets. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 finished lower, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended higher.
Mr Yeap said he expected more short-term volatility in the US market as investors trade positions.
However, he added that a broader uptrend in US indexes is likely to persist in the longer term. THE BUSINESS TIMES
