Asia stocks end higher on Wall St gains

Singapore

STOCKS in Asia ended broadly higher on Wednesday, after a firm handover from Wall Street overnight. Some semblance of stability was restored in the markets after US stocks rallied the most since March, as corporate earnings provided a respite from trade tensions. The Dow and the S&P 500 jumped by more than 2 per cent each, while the Nasdaq surged nearly 3 per cent.

Falling in line with the rest of Asia was the benchmark Straits Times Index which rose 36.79 points, or 1.2 per cent to close the day at 3,071.1, as gainers outnumbered losers 232 to 141. Turnover came in lower though, with 1.12 billion shares worth S$898.7 million changing hands, versus a churn of 1.8 billion shares worth S$950.6 million the previous day.