Singapore: STI extends decline with 0.8% retreat ahead of Fed meeting

SINGAPORE shares closed 0.8 per cent lower as at 5:10 pm on Tuesday for another down session, with the Straits Times Index down 25.04 points to 3,298.09 as anticipation of this week's Federal Reserve meeting kept investors on the sidelines.

The banks continued to drag on the index, with DBS Group Holdings lower by one per cent, or 21 Singapore cents, to S$20.54. OCBC Bank slipped 0.4 per cent or four Singapore cents to close at S$9.99, while United Overseas Bank finished at S$22.80, down by 0.52 per cent or 12 Singapore cents.

About 1.10 billion shares worth S$885 million in total changed hands, which worked out to an average unit price of S$0.80 per share.

The most actively traded stock was Noble Group, which stayed flat at S$0.72 with 65.0 million shares changing hands.

Losers outnumbered gainers 263 to 151, or about seven down for every four up.