Singapore shares open lower on Thursday; STI down 0.6%

SINGAPORE stocks opened lower on Thursday, with the Straits Times Index falling 0.6 per cent or 22.03 points to 3,517.38 as at 9.04am.

About 80.1 million shares worth S$161.2 million in total changed hands, which worked out to an average unit price of S$2.01 per share.

The most actively traded counter was Genting Singapore, which fell one Singapore cent to S$1.11 with 10.3 million shares changing hands. Other actives included Spackman and Cosco Shipping.

Among active index shares, DBS Group Holdings was trading at S$28.83, down 29 Singapore cents, or one per cent, and UOB, trading at S$28.63, down by 19 Singapore cents or 0.66 per cent.

Losers outnumbered gainers 100 to 56, or about nine down for every five up.

Over on Wall Street, stocks tumbled overnight on Wednesday's close on rising worries the Trump administration's trade policies could ignite a global trade war, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all shedding points.

The US announced on Wednesday it was taking action at the World Trade Organization against Indian export subsidies too, which comes as the White House considers slapping tariffs on Chinese imports.

Tokyo's Nikkei index also fell on similar trade war worries.