Singapore shares close 0.9% down on Monday, in line with falling Asian markets

SINGAPORE stocks ended 0.9 per cent lower on Monday, with the Straits Times Index retreating 29.76 points to 3,238.94, in line with falling Asian markets.

Losers outnumbered gainers 274 to 122, or about nine down for every four up, as some 790.4 million shares worth S$827.1 million in total changed hands. 

Chinese stocks took a hit on Monday in the worst start to a second half of a year since 2015, as selling resumed amid worries over a falling currency, housing curbs and the impact of US trade tariffs.

Tokyo stocks closed down over 2 per cent, hit by falling Chinese stocks and slipping confidence among Japan's biggest manufacturers.

Trade-war jitters, political risk in Europe and divergence in monetary policy across the world remain some of the key themes investors are grappling with following the end of the first half of the year.