SINGAPORE stocks began Friday (Oct 25) morning trading in negative territory, after global markets had mixed performances.
As at 9.01 am, the Straits Times Index (STI) fell 5.56 points or 0.2 per cent to 3,599.39. Across the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 57 to 50 after 41.9 million securities worth S$70.5 million changed hands.
Chinese agritech company Zixin was the most actively traded counter by volume. The counter rose 3.6 per cent or S$0.001 to S$0.029 after 7.4 million shares changed hands.
Other actively traded counters included beverage maker Thai Beverage, which fell 0.9 per cent or S$0.005 to S$0.525, and food and beverage group LifeBrandz which stayed flat at S$0.003.
Banking stocks were down at the open. DBS dipped 0.4 per cent or S$0.16 to S$39.14 and UOB dropped 0.1 per cent or S$0.03 to S$32.47. Meanwhile, OCBC fell 0.3 per cent or S$0.05 to S$15.35.
Wall Street stocks ended Thursday mostly up after an earnings deluge.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.3 per cent to 42,374.36 due to earnings disappointments and the prolongation of the Boeing strike.
The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.2 per cent at 5,809.86 while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index rose 0.8 per cent to 18,415.49, boosted by Tesla shares surging following strong earnings.
Over in Europe, shares gave up early gains to close little changed on Thursday as investors assessed signs of stalling business activity and a raft of earnings from the likes of online gaming group Evolution, carmaker Renault and consumer major Unilever.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index ended flat following three straight sessions in the red.
The Stoxx had a strong start to the year on expectations of upcoming interest rate cuts by the European Central Bank, but the index has recently stalled as investors mull a stagnating economy, weak Chinese demand and the impact of US elections on the currency union.
