SINGAPORE shares reversed course to trade in negative territory on Thursday afternoon, losing 15.89 points or 0.5 per cent to 3,197.82 as at 1pm.

Decliners outnumbered advancers 177 to 170, after about 839.7 million securities worth S$559.4 million changed hands.

Among the most heavily traded counters, Singtel slipped S$0.02 or 0.6 per cent to S$3.15 with 15.6 million shares traded, while Yangzijiang Shipbuilding added S$0.01 or 1 per cent to S$1.03, with 10.9 million shares traded.

Financials faltered in the afternoon trade. DBS slipped S$0.19 or 0.8 per cent to S$25.12, United Overseas Bank declined S$0.23 or 0.9 per cent to S$25.82, while OCBC Bank retreated S$0.08 or 0.7 per cent to S$11.01.

Other active index securities included Singapore Exchange which fell S$0.18 or 1.9 per cent to S$9.20, while City Developments sank S$0.16 or 1.5 per cent to S$10.85.

Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, virus fears weighed on the markets with Hong Kong's Hang Seng falling 0.8 per cent by the afternoon trade.

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Japan's Topix was flat, while China's Shanghai Composite added 0.5 per cent.

South Korea's Kospi fell 1 per cent, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index rose 0.2 per cent.