SINGAPORE banking shares continued to lend their weight to the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI), pushing it 10.72 points higher by the end of Wednesday's session, even as investors wondered about the impact of Italy's referendum and Thursday's policy meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB).
The index closed up 0.36 per cent at 2,959.84, after retreating from an intraday high of 2,961.40. Turnover amounted to 1.8 billion units worth S$1.2 billion, shy of the S$1.3 billion average seen since Donald Trump won on Nov 8.
The advance-decline score of 222 to 194 pointed to a firm finish.
Wednesday's strong showing from the banking counters came on the back of the extended gains of financial shares...