Singapore stocks: STI resumes Wednesday afternoon down 0.37%

SINGAPORE stocks resumed trading on Wednesday afternoon in negative territory, tracking a slow performance in other regional markets as investors anticipate the signing of the US-China trade deal later in the day.

On the Singapore bourse, the Straits Times Index fell 0.37 per cent or 12.01 points on the day to 3,258.53 as at 1.04pm.

Decliners outnumbered advancers 170 to 153, after about 676.3 million securities worth S$500 million changed hands.

Among the most heavily traded by volume, AusGroup gained 0.3 Singapore cent or 6.4 per cent to S$0.05, with 51.3 million shares traded. Golden Agri-Resources fell 0.5 cent or 2.1 per cent to S$0.235, with 50 million shares traded. Meanwhile, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding held steady at S$1.17, with 30.5 million shares traded.

Fu Yu Corporation also rose three Singapore cents or 12 per cent to S$0.28 with 20 million shares traded. DBS Group Research had on Wednesday initiated coverage on the precision plastic components maker with a "buy" call and a target price of S$0.35.

Banking stocks were mixed by the afternoon trade. UOB lost 19 Singapore cents or 0.7 per cent to S$26.75, while OCBC fell seven cents or 0.6 per cent to S$11.03. DBS held steady at S$26.25.

Other active securities included Singtel, which rose one Singapore cent or 0.3 per cent to S$3.26, and Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust which gained one cent or 0.8 per cent to S$1.20.

Elsewhere in the region, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 0.4 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.46 per cent. South Korea's KOSPI shed 0.40 per cent.

In China, the Shanghai Composite decreased 0.59 per cent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost 0.72 per cent.