Singapore shares close 0.9 per cent down on Friday

SINGAPORE shares closed 0.9 per cent lower on Friday, with the Straits Times Index (STI) down 28.97 points to 3,320.9 ahead of Greece's last-ditch talks on Saturday to try and avert a default next week.

The index was dragged down by the banks and Singtel after news that Greece and its creditors had failed to reach an agreement despite several rounds of negotiations.

Still, the STI ended the week 0.6 per cent higher than last Friday's close at 3,300.96.

About 1.18 billion shares worth S$926 million in total changed hands, which worked out to an average unit price of S$0.78 per share.

The most actively traded stock was offshore firm Ezra, which fell S$0.088 to S$0.177 with 133.9 million shares changing hands. Other actives included Noble Group and IHC.

Losers outnumbered gainers 256 to 181, or about seven down for every five up.