STI gains 0.4% amid mixed Asian showing

SINGAPORE stocks were up on Friday (Mar 25), with the Straits Times Index (STI) gaining 0.4 per cent or 13.99 points to close at 3,413.69. Across the broader market, 1.61 billion shares worth S$1.38 billion were traded, with gainers narrowly beating losers 260 to 249.

Regional indices were mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 climbing 0.1 per cent, South Korea's Kospi edging up 0.01 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declining by 2.5 per cent. The Kuala Lumpur Composite Index rose 0.3 per cent while the Jakarta Composite Index fell 0.7 per cent.

Oanda senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley noted that Asian equities were mixed as weekend event risk was "rightly sapping the animal spirits" of markets.