Singapore stocks gain as regional markets end mixed; STI up 0.5%

[SINGAPORE] Singapore stocks ended higher on Tuesday (Jul 21), with the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) gaining 0.5 per cent or 27.77 points to finish at 5,526.72.

Jardine Matheson led the gainers on Singapore’s blue-chip index, rising 4.4 per cent or US$2.73 to US$65.46.

The worst performer among STI constituents was casino operator Genting Singapore , which fell 0.8 per cent or S$0.005 to S$0.625.

The three local banks ended mixed on Tuesday. DBS rose 0.1 per cent or S$0.10 to S$72 and UOB was up 0.1 per cent or S$0.06 at S$42.72, while OCBC finished 0.2 per cent or S$0.05 lower at S$28.64.

Within the iEdge Singapore Next 50 Index, CSE Global was the top gainer, rising 7.4 per cent or S$0.09 to S$1.30, while Keppel Infrastructure Trust was the biggest decliner, falling 1.9 per cent or S$0.01 to S$0.525.

Across the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers 368 to 188, after 1.3 billion securities worth S$2.1 billion traded.

MarcoPolo Marine was the most actively traded security with 68.4 million securities changing hands. DBS was the most actively traded security in terms of value, with a volume of 4.2 million securities and a value of S$300 million.

Key regional indices were mixed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 0.04 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 3.3 per cent, South Korea’s Kospi was up 3.6 per cent and the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI declined 0.1 per cent.

Magdalene Teo, fixed income analyst for Asia at Julius Baer, said Asia’s growth is expected to moderate this year as supply chain disruptions and higher energy costs linked to Middle East tensions weigh on consumers and traditional industries.

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“That said, if US data continues to soften, a weaker US dollar could provide the central banks here some room to support growth,” she said.

This article has been written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a reporter