US-China trade doubts, HK unrest spook investors

SINGAPORE equities got the week off to a rough start after doubts surrounding US-China trade talks surfaced and tensions in Hong Kong were at fever pitch once again.

The Straits Times Index (STI) could not shrug off those concerns despite better-than-expected earnings from DBS Group Holdings and ST Engineering. The benchmark ended the day at 3,240.65, skidding 23.65 points or 0.7 per cent.

Led by Hong Kong, other regional markets - China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan - also posted sizeable losses. Bucking the trend was Australia. One trader remarked: "When it came to i…