STI falls 0.6% as trade worries persist

ANOTHER day, another soft lead from Wall Street overnight. That and a quiet data day saw share prices in the Singapore bourse trading listlessly, with the key barometer closing lower alongside some regional peers as worries escalated over trade tensions that could harm the global economy.

The Straits Times Index fell 21.7 points or 0.6 per cent to finish at 3,517.73 on Thursday. Key indices in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea closed higher while China, Taiwan, Australia and Malaysia noted declines.

US stocks fell overnight Wednesday led by poor retail numbers in US and extended concerns over trade on reports that US President Donald Trump would seek fresh tariffs on imports from China.