SINGAPORE shares gave up some of its earlier gains following the mid-day break, with the Straits Times Index retreating 0.1 per cent, or 2.33 points to 3,123.49 as at 1pm.

Decliners outnumbered advancers 156 to 148, after about 296.3 million shares worth S$320.6 million changed hands.

Among the most heavily traded by volume, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding added 0.5 per cent, or 0.5 Singapore cent to 99 cents, with 15.7 million shares traded, while Golden Agri-Resources lost 2.1 per cent, or 0.5 cent to 23 cents, with 14.3 million shares traded.

Propping up the benchmark index were the financials - United Overseas Bank led the banking trio with a 0.7 per cent or 17 Singapore cents increase to S$25.55, DBS rose 0.4 per cent or nine cents to S$24.82, and OCBC Bank gained 0.4 per cent or four cents to S$10.81.

Laggards however, included Jardine Matheson Holdings, which fell 3.1 per cent, or US$1.70 to US$52.97; as well as Jardine Strategic Holdings, which dropped 2.4 per cent, or 74 US cents to US$30.26.

Elsewhere, most Asian stocks lifted higher in the afternoon trading session, as hopes that the US and China may soon end their trade war boosted demand for riskier assets, while details of a call at the centre of an impeachment inquiry assuaged political jitters.

Japan's Topix index rose 0.5 per cent as at 12.15pm, and South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.4 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.2 per cent, while the Shanghai Composite slipped 0.7 per cent.