Traders hold back as STI slips again

AN abundance of caution put a crimp on the Singapore equities market on Thursday, as the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) dropped by 20.6 points, or 0.58 per cent, to 3,521.31.

The STI touched 3,561.45 at the morning open - surpassing its 10-year closing high of 3,550.21 on Tuesday - before moderating.

But a sharp tumble came at the lunch break, to an intra-day low of 3,517.9 at 2.10pm, as investors looked for the release of key Chinese economic data.

On Thursday, Beijing posted its first full-year pickup in economic growth since 2010, with gross domestic product rising b…