Singapore shares rise as banks lead gains; STI adds 1% for the week

[SINGAPORE] Singapore stocks ended higher on Friday (Sep 25), led by gains across the three local banks.

The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) gained 0.5 per cent or 27.75 points to finish at 5,711.12.

OCBC was the top gainer on the blue-chip index, rising 1.3 per cent or S$0.42 to S$32.01. DBS gained 0.7 per cent or S$0.52 to reach S$78, and UOB added 0.2 per cent or S$0.07 to end at S$42.57.

The worst performer among STI constituents was Frasers Centrepoint Trust , which fell 1.4 per cent or S$0.03 to S$2.05.

Within the iEdge Singapore Next 50 Index, Boustead Singapore was the top gainer, rising 2.8 per cent or S$0.05 to S$1.86, while Top Glove was the biggest loser, declining 4.1 per cent or S$0.01 to S$0.235.

Across the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 275 to 232, after 1.2 billion securities worth S$1.7 billion changed hands.

For the week, the STI gained 1 per cent. DFI Retail Group was the best-performing constituent, rising 5.8 per cent, followed by ST Engineering at 4.2 per cent and City Developments Ltd at 2.6 per cent.

At the other end of the index, Jardine Matheson was the biggest decliner for the week, falling 2.9 per cent. Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust lost 2.8 per cent, while Mapletree Industrial Trust declined 2.6 per cent.

On Friday, key regional indices were mixed. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1 per cent and Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.3 per cent. The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI was flat.

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STI ends 0.5% lower ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Investors were also digesting Thursday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House. The summit produced no major breakthroughs on issues including trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan, though both leaders stressed the importance of stable ties.

Xi said the two sides had reached a common understanding on a number of issues, while Trump pointed to progress in trade ties since his visit to China in May.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a reporter