Daily Debrief: What Happened Today

COE premiums climb across the board

As expected, certificate of entitlement (COE) premiums rose strongly in Wednesday's bidding exercise after most dealers reported good sales during the two-week period since the previous tender.

SembMarine says termination by Marco Polo Marine breaches contract

Sembcorp Marine (SembMarine) on early Wednesday morning said its subsidiary, PPL Shipyard, will regard the termination by Marco Polo Drilling (I) of the US$214.3 million newbuild contract as "repudiatory breach of the contract".

HK's Gaw Capital Partners buys BIG hotel in Singapore for S$203m

Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital Partners has acquired the 308-room BIG hotel in Singapore for S$203 million. The 8,800 square metre hotel is located in central Singapore.

SGX's bond-market foray now includes a dark pool

Singapore Exchange Ltd will open a dark pool for bonds as the 42-year-old bourse prepares to enter the institutional fixed-income trading business for the first time next year.

Commodity markets in worse shape than in 2009, and more risks to outlook

With oil, copper and coal trading around their lowest levels since the global financial crisis, some investors are betting that the bottom may be close for these critical commodities and have increased their long positions in the market. Yet those hoping for a similar strong recovery seen in 2009 need to tread with care.

Paris terror raid targets mastermind, leaving at least 2 dead

At least two people were killed and five arrested in a predawn raid targeting the suspected mastermind of last week's terrorist violence, as an international manhunt led investigators back to the very Paris suburb where the first of the attacks took place.

The STI Today

Singapore shares close weaker dragged down by falls in Dow futures, HK, China

Tuesday's rise in the Straits Times Index proved very short-lived as the selling resumed on Wednesday, the index dropping 30.7 points or 1.05 per cent to 2,886.08 for its eighth loss in nine sessions. Weakness in the Dow futures which signalled a soft day for Wall Street on Wednesday combined with pressure in Hong Kong and China to drag prices here lower, resulting in an advance-decline score excluding warrants of 115-271.