1. Jardine C&C +0.330
2. F&N +0.140
3. UOB +0.130
4. CityDev +0.110
5. SIA +0.100
The top 5 loser component stocks were :-
1. JMH 400US$ -1.240
2. JSH 500US$ -0.150
3. HKLand US$ -0.020
4. GLP -0.010
5. DBS -0.010
US markets closed mixed yesterday night as profit taking kicked in after the previous day 4% rally. Economic data wise were mixed with sudden increased in jobless claims offsetting a better than expected ISM Mfg data. Asian bourses were also mixed with Nikkei closed +0.54%, SSE -1.10% and HSI +0.20%. STI swinging between positive and negative managed to close +0.42% in a very thin volume day; total volume less than 1 billion as investors were very cautious ahead of tonight US employment situation. Though 2 days ago the better than expected ADP report could indicate a slight drop in unemployment rate tonight but the underlying true is the unemployment rate still high at near the 9% level. It will never go down unless President Obama's job plan get approved to create the necessary jobs to bring that down. On the European side, positive noises can be heard from EU leaders ahead of next week EU Summit as they trying to come out plans to contain the crisis. Whether those plans will get approved during the Summit is yet to know but the sentiment is definitely a positive one as it brings some confidence back to the investors.
