Singapore shares open firmer, STI up 0.3%

SINGAPORE stocks opened higher on Thursday as the Straits Times Index advanced 0.3 per cent, or 9.04 points, to 3,048.98 as at 9.01 am.

Gainers outnumbered losers 86 to 29, or about one up for every three down, after 61.4 million shares worth S$99.3 million had changed hands.

The blue chips were mostly positive, with the banks leading the way. OCBC gained 0.7 per cent, or 7 Singapore cents, to S$9.41, while DBS Group Holdings rose 0.7 per cent, or 13 Singapore cents, to S$18.98. United Overseas Bank gained 0.1 per cent, or 2 Singapore cents, to S$21.01.