Singapore stocks fall as regional bourses end mixed; STI down 0.2%

Across the broader market, decliners beat advancers 340 to 261, after 1.3 billion shares worth S$1.3 billion change hands

SINGAPORE shares were in the red on Thursday (Oct 3) as regional exchanges ended mixed.

The Republic’s benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) fell 0.2 per cent or 7.24 points to 3,577.43.

Across the broader market, decliners outpaced advancers 340 to 261, as 1.3 billion shares worth S$1.3 billion were traded across the day.

The biggest gainer on the STI was ground handler and caterer Sats, which climbed 1.3 per cent or S$0.05 to close at S$3.79.

DFI Retail Group was the biggest decliner on the index. The counter, which had been the biggest gainer the day before, slid 3.1 per cent or US$0.07 to close at US$2.20 on Thursday.

Thai Beverage was the most actively traded counter by volume, with 35.9 million shares worth S$19.1 million traded. The counter fell 1.9 per cent or S$0.01 to S$0.525. The food and beverage company had said earlier this week that it is reviving plans for an initial public offering of its beer unit.

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Within the region, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was down 1.5 per cent, while Australia’s ASX 200 was up 0.1 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei was also up 2 per cent.

Markets in mainland China and South Korea were closed on Thursday for public holidays.

Ahead of the next round of US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in November, market sentiment will be “highly sensitive” to upcoming employment data from the US, said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at online trading platform IG.

A “surprise overshoot” in unemployment rates above the Fed’s unemployment rate forecast of 4.4 per cent will be risky to the markets and may lead to calls for more urgent rate cuts, said Yeap.