Singapore shares open lower on Thursday; STI down 0.1% to 3,543.75

SINGAPORE stocks opened lower on Thursday, with the Straits Times Index falling 0.1 per cent or 4.79 points to 3,543.75 as at 9.04am.

Gainers outnumbered losers 73 to 59, or about five up for every four down, after some 52.7 million shares worth S$107.8 million in total changed hands.

Among actively traded counters, the most active was Genting Singapore, which fell S$0.02 to S$1.140 with 5.56 million shares changing hands. Other actives included Thomson Medical at S$0.09, up S$0.001 with 4.07 million shares changing hands, and Ezion at S$0.112, down S$0.001 with 3.13 million shares traded.

Among active index shares, DBS Group Holdings was trading at S$28.92, up S$0.16, or 0.56 per cent, and Singtel, trading at S$3.55, up by S$0.01 or 0.28 per cent.

In US markets overnight, Wall Street stocks rose on Wednesday's close, with energy shares boosted by higher oil prices and banking shares advancing on expectations of increased interest rates.

Tokyo stocks opened higher on Thursday, tracking Wall Street, while investors remained cautious about the impact of US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.