Singapore shares open 0.3% down on Thursday

SINGAPORE stocks opened 0.3 per cent lower on Thursday, with the Straits Times Index retreating 9.2 points to 2,804.51 as at 9.02 am.

The blue-chip index slipped after United States Federal Reserve meeting minutes indicated that the Fed may hike interest rates in December.

About 101.4 million shares worth S$98.9 million in total changed hands in the first couple of minutes, which worked out to an average unit price of S$0.98 per share.

The most actively traded counter was Korean movie producer Spackman Entertainment Group, which rose S$0.008 to S$0.121 with 14.6 million shares changing hands. Other actives included Jasper Investments and Noble Group.

Gainers outnumbered losers 66 to 59, or about nine up for every eight down.