STI jumps 0.7% on trade deal signing

THE "phase one" trade agreement signed by the US and China on Wednesday boosted most Asian markets on Thursday, with Singapore's Straits Times Index (STI) among the indices that ended higher.

It posted steady gains throughout the day and closed up 0.65 per cent or 21.02 points to 3,278. About 1.41 billion securities worth S$1.36 billion were traded, with gainers outnumbering losers 242 to 174.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 Index jumped 0.7 per cent to a new all-time high. South Korea's KOSPI closed 0.8 per cent higher, and Hong Kong shares ticked up 0.4 per cent.