AH, the smell of napalm in the morning. Or, in Wednesday's case, a North Korean ballistic missile fired into the sea at 6.42 am Seoul time, just one day ahead of a summit meeting between Chinese and United States leaders.

The local Straits Times Index (STI) never stood a chance, though it did rally slightly after taking a hit in the earlier part of the session. After falling to about 3,159 points in the early afternoon, it managed to claw its way up to finish the day 0.1 per cent lower, ending just 2.51 points down at 3,176.55.

The bluechip index went in a different direction from its neighbours. Other major Asian bourses mostly rose, though cautiously, before a two-day meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump that has been scheduled to start Thursday this week at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.