STI at highest since 2008 amid slow ascent

AFTER Tuesday's break, Singapore shares continued their slow ascent, with the Straits Times Index (STI) inching up 1.35 points or 0.04 per cent to finish at 3,615.28 on Wednesday - the highest level that it has been at since 2008.

The slight incline followed mixed directions on Wall Street where the Dow was dragged down by a drop in a US key manufacturing indicator on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 index gained a boost from the tech sector ahead of Apple's earnings release.

As it turned out, the tech giant did deliver, with profits of US$2.73 per share beating expectations of US$2.68 per share, plus a US$100 billion cash return to boot.