FTSE STI closed 3,460.68, down 4.94 points or -0.14% with a total volume of 1.99b and a total value of S$1.13b. Total number of advance vs decline was 248 vs 187. Of the 30 component index stocks, 12 closed positive, 6 unchanged and 12 in the red. The top 5 gainer component stocks were :-
1. DBS +0.150
2. CityDev +0.130
3. Kep Corp +0.070
4. Sembcorp +0.060
5. ComfortDelGro +0.050
The top 5 loser component stocks were :-
1. JMH USD -0.830
2. JSH USD -0.620
3. Jardine C&C -0.190
4. SGX -0.110
5. SIA -0.050
US markets started the day positive but fell into the red in the last hour. Asian bourses were mostly positive for the day with Nikkei +0.76%, SSE +0.86% and HSI +3.80%. STI was unable to match regional bourses performance opened positive but closed -0.14% in higher daily volume with 12 of the 30 index stocks registered gain.
It was quite comical for US markets as everything were positive with fear of sooner than expected interest rate hike eased and crude oil price rebounded but the strengthening of USD caused investors to worry the impact on US economy resulting in last hour of profit taking. Asian markets were mostly positive for the day with both Nikkei and SSE hitting new multi-year high and HSI playing catch up rallied 3.8%. BOJ after 2 days of meeting kept monetary stimulus intact despite the threat of deflation. Investors will be focusing on corporate earning for the time being.
STI under-performed regional markets after hitting new 52-week high yesterday. While profit taking was seen on the blue chips and large cap stocks dragging the index down, lot of activities were found in the penny and small-cap stocks which punters punt for quick profit. Earning play also firmed up for those companies releasing their earning later this week and next week.
