Singapore shares open lower after global markets closed mixed; STI down 0.6%

SINGAPORE stocks fell on Friday (Aug 12) after mixed trading sessions in the global markets.

The Straits Times Index (STI) dipped 0.6 per cent or 19.03 points to 3,282.93 as at 9.05 am.

Losers outnumbered gainers 67 to 64 after 114.8 million securities worth S$90 million changed hands.

Yangzijiang Financial Holding was the most actively traded counter in the morning with 37.2 million shares transacted. The counter dropped 1.3 per cent or S$0.005 to S$0.385.

Among index counters, Thaibev lost S$0.02 or 2.9 per cent to S$0.66 with 2.9 million shares traded.

Meanwhile, the trio of local banks were mixed at Friday's open. DBS rose S$0.12 or 0.4 per cent to S$33.59, OCBC slid S$0.31 or 2.5 per cent to S$12.15, while UOB dipped S$0.03 or 0.1 per cent to S$27.38.

Over in the US, markets ended mixed on Thursday as analysts weighed encouraging inflation news against expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates.

The Dow Jones Industrial rose 0.1 per cent to end the day at 33,336.67. The broad-based S&P 500 closed down 0.1 per cent at 4,207.27, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.6 per cent to end at 12,779.91.

European shares ended Thursday slightly higher, with sentiment boosted by US inflation slowing from a 40-year high.

Frankfurt's DAX index climbed 0.2 per cent to 13,728.70 points and the Paris CAC 40 jumped 0.5 per cent to 6,558.05. London's FTSE 100 index was flat at 7,504.04 points.

Elsewhere in Asia, Tokyo markets opened higher on Friday following gains on Wall Street after US economic data showed inflation may be slowing.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 index climbed 1.4 per cent or 401.72 points to 28,221.05 in early trade, while the broader Topix index rose 1.1 per cent or 20.66 points to 1,954.31.