Singapore: STI up 15.78 points on US strength

SINGAPORE shares got off to a positive start on Tuesday with the Straits Times Index (STI) gaining 0.46 per cent, or 15.78 points, to hit 3,419.67 as at 9:04 am on the back of a strong overnight market in the United States.

The US equity markets had a solid showing to start the month, with the Nasdaq Composite Index making headlines for closing above 5,000 for the first time since 2000. The Nasdaq closed overnight at 5,008.10, up 0.9 per cent or 44.57 points.

The commodity segment dominated early activity. Top movers out of the gate were Golden Agri-Resources, which rose 1.25 per cent or half a cent to hit 40.5 Singapore cents on 17.3 million trades as at 9.04 am. Noble Group rose 3.2 per cent, or three Singapore cents, to change hands at 97.5 Singapore cents. About 81 million shares worth S$122.6 million changed hands in four minutes of trading, with gainers outpacing losers 95 to 69.