FTSE STI closed 1,852.85, down 7.13 points or 0.38% with a total volume of 1.44b and a total value of S$1.04b. Total number of advance vs decline was 229 vs 193. Of the 30 component index stocks, 11 closed positive, 16 closed negative and 3 remained unchanged. The top 5 gainer component stocks were :-
1. JMH 400US$ +0.860
2. HKLand US$ +0.080
3. JSH 500US$ +0.060
4. Wilmar +0.050
5. SembCorp +0.020
5. SingTel +0.020
The top 5 loser component stocks were :-
1. Jardine C&C -0.240
2. SIA -0.220
3. OCBC -0.130
4. KepCorp -0.130
5. SPH -0.070
US markets advanced at least 1% yesterday night despite weak home sale data as investors digest on corporate earnings; in particular those technology related companies which posted pretty good set of result meeting market expectation. Asia bourses were fairly flattish for the last trading day of the week as investors remained cautious ahead of the US bank stress tests result. Nikkei closed -1.57%, HSI +0.29% and SSE -0.62%. STI throughout the day was traded in the down side but remain flattish. STI closed -0.38% with the blue chips having mixed performance.
