Singapore stocks fall amid heightened geopolitical tensions; STI down 0.3%

Across the broader market, losers outnumber gainers 319 to 250 after two billion securities worth S$1.3 billion change hands

Singapore stocks ended lower on Monday (Jan 19) amid heightened uncertainty from rising geopolitical tensions.

The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) lost 0.3 per cent or 14.22 points to finish at 4,834.88. Meanwhile, the iEdge Singapore Next 50 Index slid 0.1 per cent or 1.01 points to 1,487.93.

Across the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 319 to 250 after two billion securities worth S$1.3 billion changed hands.

Markets opened the week “like a risk engine hitting a pothole at speed”, said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

Overnight, US President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on some European nations over Greenland. This was unlike earlier negotiations, where tariffs were a bargaining chip over trade imbalances or market access, Innes noted.

“Once tariffs are reframed as geopolitical instruments, markets stop asking how big the levy is and start asking what else is now in play,” he added.

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Key regional indices were mixed.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 1 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 0.7 per cent, while the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI was flat and South Korea’s Kospi gained 1.3 per cent.

On the STI, CapitaLand Investment led the gainers, rising 1.4 per cent or S$0.04 to S$2.96.

The worst performer was Seatrium, which fell 3.6 per cent or S$0.08 to S$2.16.

The three local banks had a mixed showing. UOB rose 0.3 per cent or S$0.10 to S$36.84, while DBS finished 0.7 per cent or S$0.41 lower at S$58.71, and OCBC fell 0.6 per cent or S$0.13 to S$20.31.

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