Singapore stocks finish mixed as traders brush off positive French election

MARKETS may have been relieved with the result of the first round of France's presidential election, but this was hardly apparent from the way trading in this part of the world went on Monday - the Straits Times Index spent most of the day in the red as it tracked falls in Hong Kong and China while mostly ignoring a triple-digit rise in the Dow futures, eventually closing with a net gain of just 4.2 points at 3,144.03.

Turnover amounted to 3.3 billion units worth S$1.1 billion and excluding warrants there were 220 rises versus 247 falls.