Yellen's silence pushes data to forefront in week ahead

THE Singapore stock market is set to open on Monday with economic data expected to replace Fed-watching as the driver of the week.

US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi gave speeches over the weekend that had been closely anticipated over the past week. But the central bankers chose to discuss financial sector regulation rather than monetary policy, giving investors hardly anything to work with.

US markets ended on Friday on a modestly positive note, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.17 per cent, or 4.08 points, to 2,443.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.14 per cent, or 30.27 points, to 21,813.67.