Trade hopes lift STI, but benchmark down 0.7% on week

SINGAPORE equities turned in a positive showing to close the week out as hopes for a mini trade deal were lifted after a White House official said "enormous progress" has been made.

The latest development eased early week concerns that such an agreement could be breaking down.

Following two sessions of losses, the Straits Times Index (STI) notched up slight gains to end at 3,238.86, up 7.01 points or 0.2 per cent.