SGX edges higher as North Korea fears ease

Singapore stocks edged higher on Tuesday, as geopolitical tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programme receded.

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SGX Logo. Reuters

Singapore stocks edged higher on Tuesday, as geopolitical tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programme receded.

Asian shares hit a 10-year peak with investors breathing a sigh of relief as North Korean fears eased slightly.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.2 percent to its highest level since late 2007. Japan's Nikkei added 1.0 percent.

On Wall Street on Monday, U.S. S&P 500 Index surged over 1 percent to a record high close of 2,488.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously stepped up sanctions against North Korea on Monday over the country's sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3, imposing a ban on the country's textile exports and capping imports of crude oil, Reuters reported.

At 0550 GMT, the Straits Times Index gained 0.16 percent or 5 points to 3,233. It ended 0.05 points lower on Monday, taking the year-to-date performance to about 12 percent.

Among the lenders, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp rose 0.4 percent while DBS Group Holdings and United Overseas Bank edged down 0.03 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

Sembcorp Marine rose 1 percent after its Brazilian unit, Estaleiro Jurong Aracruz Ltda, has secured hull carry over works worth about US$145 million.

Hyflux, which designs treatment systems for water purification, said SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corp has been ordered to pay its unit, Hydrochem, US$16.1 million following an arbitration dispute. Its shares gained percent.

Singapore Telecommunications said it will accelerate fiber-based service adoption for its business and residential customers in a bid to support government's Smart Nation initiative. The stock was unchanged at S$3.69.

About 745 million shares worth S$509 million changed hands, with gainers outnumbering losers 173 to 157.

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