WITH US markets on a break on Monday, trading was muted in Singapore with investors looking for direction. That said, recent gains in the local stock market meant that there were profit-taking opportunities.

The Straits Times Index, which spent much of Tuesday's session treading above Monday's closing of 3,265.97, closed 6.17 points or 0.2 per cent lower at 3,259.80.

Trading on the Singapore bourse clocked in at about 1.12 billion securities worth S$775.9 million in total changing hands. Losers outnumbered gainers 218 to 172.

Pennies saw heavy trading, with the most actively traded on the day being Ezion Holdings. The liftboat-focused company's counter closed 0.1 Singapore cent or 2.3 per cent lower at 4.2 Singapore cents with 40.1 million shares changing hands.  

Among STI constituents, Genting Singapore's shares ended down one Singapore cent or 0.9 per cent at S$1.09 with 26.9 million shares changing hands, while Yangzijiang Shipbuilding was lower by one Singapore cent or 0.7 per cent at S$1.39 with 15.9 million shares traded.

Among financials, DBS Group Holdings, which released its full-year 2018 earnings on Monday morning, dipped 10 Singapore cents or 0.4 per cent to S$25.10. 

Meanwhile, shares of enterprise hardware supplier Procurri Corporation slumped on Tuesday after it said a proposed investor New State Capital Partners has withdrawn its acquisition offer. The counter closed at 28 Singapore cents, down 9.7 per cent or three Singapore cents.