Singapore shares end week on high; STI up 0.7%

[SINGAPORE] The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) capped a week-long rally to touch a new high on Friday (Jul 18).

The STI rose 0.7 per cent or 28.07 points to close at 4,189.50, after hitting an intraday peak of 4,192.19.

The gains were buoyed by DBS, which hit a high of S$47.05 on Friday morning. It eventually closed 0.7 per cent or S$0.31 higher at S$46.99.

Seatrium was the STI’s top gainer of the day, rising 5.8 per cent or S$0.13 to S$2.38. The offshore and marine specialist was also the most actively traded counter by volume, with 36.7 million shares worth S$85.9 million traded.

The biggest decliner was property developer Hongkong Land. The counter fell 1.1 per cent or US$0.07 to US$6.25.

Across the broader market, advancers outnumbered decliners 430 to 147, after 2.2 billion securities worth S$1.6 billion changed hands.

Regional markets ended Friday mixed. Australia’s ASX 200 jumped 1.4 per cent to a record close of 8,757.20 points, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was up 1.3 per cent. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2 per cent ahead of its upper house elections this weekend.

Stephen Innes, managing partner of SPI Asset Management, said that political uncertainty is casting a long shadow over Japan’s markets, given that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition might fail to secure a majority win in the upper house.

“That sets the stage for a potential leadership shuffle, snap election, or an unstable coalition – all of which would make investors nervous about Japan’s ability to navigate complex trade talks and push through cohesive fiscal policy,” Innes added.