STI dips on rising trade friction

THE Straits Times Index (STI) ended in the red for the second straight day in the week, on the back of rising tensions between the US and China fuelling further animosity between the two and sending waves across key Asian markets.

Both Singapore and Indonesia tracked broader Asian shares lower on fears that cooling economic growth in China - amid its quarrels with the United States - had dampened investor sentiment.

The Hang Seng fell 0.9 per cent, while the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Composite Index ended flat.