Singapore shares open higher on Thursday; STI up 0.5% to 3,418.92

SINGAPORE stocks opened higher on Thursday, with the Straits Times Index moving up 16.06 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 3,418.92 as at 9.05am.

This came as US stocks clocked the longest winning streak in more than a month overnight.

On the Singapore bourse, about 76 million shares worth S$128.1 million changed hands. Gainers outnumbered losers 120 to 41, or about three stocks up for every one down.

The most actively traded counters were Thai Beverage Public Co, which fell 3.8 per cent or 3.5 Singapore cents to 87.5 Singapore cents with 15 million shares traded; and Jiutian Chemical, which rose 8.2 per cent or 0.5 Singapore cent to 6.6 Singapore cents with 14 million shares traded.

Other active index stocks included OCBC Bank, which was up 2 per cent, or 25 Singapore cents to S$12.51; and UOB which was up 0.5 per cent or 14 Singapore cents to S$26.38.

The Singapore stock market will close early at noon on Thursday for the Lunar New Year holiday.