Rebound Anticipated For Singapore Stock Market

(RTTNews) - The Singapore stock market on Monday ended the three-day winning streak in which it had collected more than 30 points or 0.8 percent. The Straits Times Index now sits just above the 3,730-point plateau although it's likely to bounce higher again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with technology and oil stocks expected to lead the way higher. The European and U.S. markets were mostly higher and the Asian bourses are also likely to open to the upside. The STI finished modestly lower on Monday following mixed performances from the financial shares, property stocks and industrial issues. For the day, the index lost 12.15 points or 0.32 percent to finish at 3,732.55 after trading between 3,727.94 and 3,754.82. Among the actives, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust skidded 1.01 percent, while CapitaLand Investment advanced 0.72 percent, City Developments added 0.39 percent, DBS Group retreated 1.26 percent, DFI Retail surged 3.42 percent, Hongkong Land tanked 2.14 percent, Keppel DC REIT sank 0.45 percent, Keppel Ltd rose 0.30 percent, Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust, Mapletree Industrial Trust rallied 0.81 percent, SATS plunged 2.60 percent, Seatrium Limited declined 1.08 percent, SembCorp Industries tumbled 1.37 percent, Singapore Technologies Engineering plummeted 5.52 percent, SingTel dropped 0.63 percent, Thai Beverage jumped 0.97 percent, Wilmar International spiked 1.31 percent, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding slumped 0.79 percent and Emperador, Genting Singapore, Yangzijiang Financial, Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, Frasers Centrepoint Trust, Mapletree Logistics Trust and Comfort DelGro were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street suggests mild upside as the major averages opened on opposite sides of the line on Monday and maintained a fairly narrow trading range before ending mixed.

The Dow shed 55.39 points or 0.13 percent to finish at 43,389.60, while the NASDAQ climbed 111.69 points or 0.60 percent to close at 18,791.81 and the S&P 500 added 23.00 points or 0.39 percent to end at 5,893.62.

The strength on Wall Street reflected bargain hunting as traders look to pick up stocks at reduced levels following last week's steep drop amid concerns about the outlook for interest rates.

In U.S. economic news, the National Association of Home Builders said homebuilder confidence has improved much more than anticipated in November, hitting its highest level since April.

Oil prices climbed higher on Monday on concerns about likely shortage in supplies due to an escalation in Russia - Ukraine war, while a weaker dollar also contributed to the rise in oil prices. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for December closed higher by $2.14 or 3.2 percent at 69.16 a barrel.