Singapore stocks end week lower as investors tread with caution

LOCAL shares ended the dreary trading week lower, as traders kept a close watch on factors such as interest rates, inflation levels and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The benchmark Straits Times Index fell 0.2 per cent or 6.37 points to finish the week at 3,335.85 on Thursday (Apr 14), ahead of the Good Friday public holiday on Apr 15.

Daily turnover came in at 2.2 billion securities worth a collective S$1.2 billion. Advancers outnumbered decliners 237 to 210.

"The uncertain path of US bond yields and the Ukraine war knock-on effects could be preventing equity investors from getting aggressively back in the saddle. There is no consensus on whether the curve might re-steepen or invert more deeply," said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

Across the region, stock markets ended the day on a more positive note. The Nikkei 225 and SSE Composite Index were each up 1.2 per cent; the Hang Seng Index rose 0.7 per cent, and the ASX 200 added 0.6 per cent. The KLCI inched up 0.1 per cent, and the Kospi ended the day largely unchanged.

Jardine Matheson Holdings J36 was the top gainer for the day on the local bourse, rising 0.7 per cent or US$0.39 to US$56.59.

Excelpoint Technology BDF was another top gainer for the day, after the mainboard-listed electronics component distributor got a S$1.93 per share acquisition offer. At that price tag, Excelpoint's value stands at about S$232.2 million. The stock ended Thursday at S$1.96, up 9.5 per cent or S$0.17.

The trio of local lenders were among the biggest losers for the day. UOB U11 shed 0.5 per cent or S$0.15 to S$30.76; DBS D05 lost 0.3 per cent or S$0.10 to S$33.48, while OCBC O39 fell 0.3 per cent or S$0.03 to S$12.03.

Sembcorp Marine S51 was the most actively traded stock, as the impending merger between the company and Keppel Offshore and Marine fuelled investor interest in the counter. The stock closed at S$0.12, up 3.5 per cent or S$0.004, after some 756.5 million shares changed hands.

Other heavily traded counters included Adventus Holdings 5EF , Tritech Group and Addvalue Technologies A31 .