Singapore shares open down on Thursday

SINGAPORE stocks opened 0.2 per cent lower on Thursday, with the Straits Times Index dropping 6.09 points to 3,415.16 as at 9.03am.

About 88.5 million shares worth S$94.8 million in total changed hands.

The most actively traded counter was QT Vascular, which fell S$0.001 to S$0.018 with 10.5 million shares changing hands. Other actives included Allied Tech and Singtel. Commodities trader Noble is scheduled to release its earnings report after the market closes.

Gainers outnumbered losers 71 to 66.

Elsewhere in the world, Wall Street saw more record finishes for all three indices. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the session a hair's breadth higher at 23,563.36, up less than a tenth of a per cent, while the broader S&P 500 gained 0.1 per cent to close at 2,594.38. The tech-heavy Nasdaq saw stronger gains, adding 0.3 per cent to settle at 6,789.12, according to AFP reporting.

Stocks in Tokyo opened higher, with the Nikkei 225 index edging up 0.37 per cent, or 84.08 points, to 22,997.90 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was up 0.30 per cent, or 5.47 points, at 1,823.07.