THE progress of the Wuhan coronavirus was front and centre in the minds of investors this week. Given that, at this early stage, the virus has already spread more rapidly than Sars, it is unlikely to be on the back burner anytime soon.

On Friday, Singapore's Straits Times Index (STI) managed to register gains shortly after the opening bell, thanks to a positive Thursday session on Wall Street. However, the early advance was quickly erased as investors preferred to focus on the rising death toll and number of infection cases from the virus, instead of the World Health Organization (WHO) saying that a worst-case scenario was off the table.

The STI finished at 3,153.73, down 16.95 points or 0.5 per cent. On the week, the blue-chip index fell 86.29 points or 2.7 per cent from Jan 24's close of 3,240.02. The STI lost 2.1 per cent in January.