STI up on Wall St gains, rising oil prices

THE local bourse's key Straits Times Index (STI) finished 8.9 points or 0.3 per cent higher at 3,336.72 on Wednesday, ahead of the US Federal Reserve decision which is largely expected to remain unchanged.

A combination of upbeat factors including overnight gains in Wall Street and rising crude prices also fuelled gains in the local stock market and elsewhere in the region.

While the absence of a press conference by Fed chief Janet Yellen and any summary of economic projections could take away a "chunk of the excitement", investors would most probably closely scrutinise the policy statement for clues on the tightening plan, said FXTM research analyst Lukman Otunuga.