Singapore shares open lower on Friday

SINGAPORE shares opened 0.3 per cent lower on Friday, with the Straits Times Index down 10.14 points to 3,210.81 as at 9.02am.

About 49 million shares worth S$77 million in total changed hands, which worked out to an average unit price of S$1.57 per share.

The most actively traded stock was Rowsley, which fell S$0.002 to S$0.125 with 16.7 million shares changing hands.

Other actives included Singtel and CapitaLand.

Gainers outnumbered losers 58 to 44.

Regional markets were mixed following news that North Korea launched another missile over Japan on Friday morning in response to strengthened UN sanctions.

The Topix index was up 0.1 per cent as at 9.09am in Tokyo as it swung between gains and losses. South Korea's Kospi index declined 0.5 per cent, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index fell 0.4 per cent, Bloomberg reported.

In other market news, The Bank of England (BOE), maintained its key interest rate at 0.25 per cent despite surging inflation. The gain in the British currency weighed on stocks in London, with the FTSE 100 losing 1.1 per cent.

US stocks were mixed, with the Dow edging to a fresh record, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both retreated from consecutive peaks due to weakness in leading tech shares such as Apple, Facebook and Google-parent Alphabet, Bloomberg added.