Singapore stocks open higher on Monday; STI up 0.1%

SINGAPORE shares began trading on Monday morning in slightly positive territory, with the Straits Times Index (STI) rising 1.72 points or 0.1 per cent to 2,993.25 as at 9am.

Gainers outnumbered losers 103 to 47, after 143.6 million securities worth S$59.2 million changed hands.

Among the index securities, the most heavily traded by volume was CapitaLand, which shed S$0.05 or 1.5 per cent to S$3.35, with 2.3 million shares traded. This comes after the property giant on Friday said it expects to report a loss for the full year ended Dec 31, 2020 due to the impact from revaluations and impairments.

Meanwhile, Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust was up S$0.01 or 0.3 per cent to S$3.14, with 2.1 million units changing hands.

The trio of local lenders were mixed in early trade. DBS added S$0.11 or 0.4 per cent to S$26.28, UOB was up S$0.10 or 0.4 per cent to S$23.80, while OCBC slipped S$0.03 or 0.3 per cent to S$10.59.

Other active stocks include Sarine Technologies, which advanced 3.5 Singapore cents or 5.7 per cent to 65 cents.

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FJ Benjamin was also up, gaining 0.3 Singapore cent or 18.8 per cent to 1.9 cents. The mainboard-listed retailer on Sunday announced that it has obtained in-principle approval from the Singapore Exchange to transfer to the Catalist board. Nonetheless, this is subject to certain conditions, including shareholders' approval.

Over on Wall Street, US equities finished mostly lower on Friday as investors grappled with worries over new coronavirus strains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.6 per cent lower at 30,996.98, while the broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.3 per cent to 3,841.47. But the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index edged up 0.1 per cent to 13,543.06, finishing at a record for a third straight session.

European stocks ended lower on Friday, closing out another lacklustre week, as business activity in the eurozone shrank in January after stringent lockdowns. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index fell 0.6 per cent, but clung to a small 0.2 per cent rise for a week, dominated by hopes for massive US stimulus under President Joe Biden.

Elsewhere in Asia, Tokyo stocks opened higher on Monday after the mixed close on Wall Street last week and with investors shifting their focus to the corporate earnings season in Japan. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained 0.2 per cent or 60.04 points to 28,691.49 in early trade, while the broader Topix index was up 0.3 per cent or 4.92 points at 1,861.56.