The Singapore stock market has finished higher in three straight sessions, gathering more than 45 points or 1.3 percent along the way. The Straits Times Index now rests just beneath the 3,350-point plateau although investors figure to cash in on Friday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets suggests consolidation on growing concerns over the outlook for interest rates. The European markets were mixed and the U.S. bourses were sharply lower and the Asian markets figure to follow the latter lead.
The STI finished modestly higher on Thursday following mixed performances from the financial shares, property stocks and industrial issues.
For the day, the index picked up 13.14 points or 0.39 percent to finish at 3,348.46 after trading between 3,337.04 and 3,359.62. Volume was 1.5 billion shares worth 1.3 billion Singapore dollars. There were 246 decliners and 245 gainers.
Among the actives, Ascendas REIT rallied 1.39 percent, while CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust spiked 1.77 percent, CapitaLand Investment lost 0.25 percent, City Developments climbed 0.84 percent, Dairy Farm International tumbled 1.81 percent, DBS Group gained 0.45 percent, Genting Singapore increased 0.62 percent, Hongkong Land slumped 1.05 percent, Mapletree Commercial Trust accelerated 1.60 percent, Mapletree Industrial Trust advanced 0.75 percent, Mapletree Logistics Trust added 0.55 percent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation eased 0.17 percent, SATS soared 2.29 percent, SembCorp Industries sank 0.68 percent, Singapore Airlines was up 0.36 percent, Singapore Exchange dropped 0.40 percent, Singapore Technologies Engineering improved 0.73 percent, SingTel surged 2.31 percent, Thai Beverage jumped 1.42 percent, United Overseas Bank collected 0.13 percent, Wilmar International rose 0.44 percent, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding retreated 1.28 percent and Comfort DelGro and Keppel Corp were unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is negative as the major averages were unable to hold early gains on Thursday, accelerating into the red as the day progressed.
The Dow tumbled 368.03 points or 1.05 percent to finish at 34,792.76, while the NASDAQ dropped 278.41 points or 2.07 percent to close at 13,174.41 and the S&P 500 sank 65.79 points or 1.48 percent to end at 4,393.66.
The sharp pullback on Wall Street came as Treasury yields showed a notable move back to the upside after falling on Wednesday. The yield on the benchmark ten-year note more than offset yesterday's drop, reaching its highest closing level since December 2018.
Concerns about the outlook for interest rates contributed to the rebound by Treasury yields after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told the International Monetary Fund that it would be appropriate to raise rates "a little more quickly" and predicted a 50 basis point rate hike would be on the table at the Fed's May meeting.
Early in the session, stocks benefited from some upbeat earnings news from the likes of Tesla (TSLA), American Airlines (AAL) and United Airlines (UAL).
In economic news, the Labor Department noted a slight decrease in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits last week. Also, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said growth in Philadelphia-area manufacturing activity slowed more than expected in April.
Crude oil prices climbed higher Thursday, extending gains from the previous session amid concerns about global crude supply and strong demand in the U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for June ended higher by $1.60 or 1.6 percent at $103.79 a barrel.
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