Singapore stocks: STI resumes Friday afternoon at 3,156.61, up 0.3% on day

SINGAPORE stocks edged up as trading resumed on Friday afternoon, with the Straits Times Index advancing 0.3 per cent or 9.55 points to 3,156.61 as at 1.02pm amid a rally seen in markets globally.

This comes amidst hopes over upcoming US-China trade talks as well as positive US economic data and easing fears of a no-deal Brexit.

On the Singapore bourse, gainers outnumbered losers 174 to 125, or about seven securities up for every five down, after 450.8 million securities worth S$423.3 million changed hands.

Among the most heavily traded by volume, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings rose 0.5 per cent or S$0.005 to S$0.97 with 27.2 million shares traded. Genting Singapore advanced 0.6 per cent or S$0.005 to S$0.90 with 13.2 million shares traded. Rex International Holding increased 1.2 per cent or S$0.001 to S$0.082 with 10.3 million shares traded.

Active index stocks included Mapletree Commercial Trust, down 1.8 per cent or S$0.04 to S$2.24; and Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering), up 0.5 per cent or S$0.02 to S$3.98.

Financials also opened stronger, with DBS Group Holdings up 0.8 per cent or S$0.20 to S$24.83; OCBC Bank up 0.7 per cent or S$0.07 to S$10.84; and United Overseas Bank, up 0.8 per cent or S$0.19 to S$25.45.

In the region, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose, while the Shanghai Composite Index went up 0.2 per cent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.6 per cent.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index rose 0.4 per cent to 6,641 by 0211 GMT, while New Zealand's S&P/NZX 50 index rose 1 per cent to 11,213. South Korea's KOSPI meanwhile went up 0.3 per cent and Japan's Nikkei advanced 0.6 per cent.