Singapore shares open higher on Tuesday

SINGAPORE shares opened 0.2 per cent higher with the Straits Times Index up 7.83 points to 3,249.68 as at 9.04am on Tuesday.

The index was lifted after equities on Wall Street made fresh records, while the US dollar snapped a two-day drop and Treasuries slipped as investors seemed relaxed about the prospect of the Federal Reserve beginning to unwind stimulus.

About 55 million shares worth S$52 million in total changed hands, which worked out to an average unit price of S$0.94 per share.

The most actively traded stock was Blumont, which traded at S$0.001 with 19.6 million shares changing hands.

Other actives included YZJ Shipbuilding and Rowsley.

Gainers outnumbered losers 80 to 44.

Japan's equity benchmarks gained more than one per cent, playing catch-up to a rally on Monday, when Tokyo was closed for a holiday, with the Topix index adding 1.1 per cent as at 9.17am Tokyo time.

The Kospi index fluctuated and Australia's main gauge increased 0.3 per cent, Bloomberg reported.