Singapore shares were up at midday on Thursday, with the Straits Times Index gaining 26.5 points, or 0.8 per cent, to 3,156.0 as at 2pm Singapore time.

More than 860 million shares were traded by midday, worth a total of $418.4 million.

Gainers led losers 239 to 91, with 467 counters remaining unchanged.

Other Asian markets including South Korea, Hong Kong and China also rose on Thursday morning, after jobs data from the United States came in better than expected overnight.