Moderation in Chinese data drags STI

THE soft start to the week for Singapore and regional markets continued for a second day on the back of growing concerns that the already delayed US tax cuts could be further pushed back.

On Tuesday, the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) lost 20.04 points or 0.59 per cent to end lower at 3,399.09 after retreating from an intraday high of 3,422.46.

Across Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei, Seoul's Kospi, Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Australian shares were down, while New Zealand equities were up.