ST Index ends on a weary, flat note

THE local bourse's key index struggled and wobbled under water for much of Monday's trading session but managed to climb insipidly higher at the tail end to close on a weary note.

The Straits Times Index (STI) rose only 3.56 points or 0.11 per cent to finish at 3,226.11. The small gains were backed by gains among regional peers led by last Friday's higher closing on Wall Street and a positive stress test outcome by European banks over the weekend.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei advanced 0.6 per cent while South Korea's Kospi gained 0.3 per cent. China's Shanghai Composite and Hong Kong's Hang Seng bucked the trend, falling 0.5 per cent and 0.7 per cent respectively after the much-anticipated Shanghai-Hong Kong bourse link was delayed.