Singapore shares open flat on Wednesday

SINGAPORE shares opened flat with the Straits Times Index down 0.49 point to 3,250.77 as at 9.01 am on Wednesday.

Against the backdrop of North Korea's biggest nuclear test on Sunday, US stocks sank overnight with the S&P 500 stumbling to its biggest single-day loss in about three weeks.

About 25 million shares worth S$36 million in total changed hands, which worked out to an average unit price of S$1.43 per share.

The most actively traded stock was Rowsley, which traded at S$0.112 with 1.9 million shares changing hands.

Other actives included MDR and QT Vascular.

Losers outnumbered gainers 63 to 61.

Asian stocks tracked Wall Street's slide overnight to slip on Wednesday where Japan's Nikkei shed 0.55 per cent and Australian stocks lost 0.3 per cent.

South Korea's Kospi was down 0.2 per cent and on track for its fifth straight day of losses, Reuters said.