Singapore shares edge lower as lenders drag

Singapore stocks fell on Wednesday, dragged lower by lenders such as OCBC, but easing geopolitical tensions over North Korea's missile programme capped any huge losses.

sgx
Reuters

Singapore stocks fell on Wednesday, dragged lower by lenders such as OCBC, but easing geopolitical tensions over North Korea's missile programme capped any huge losses.

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 was slightly lower, after earlier poking up to its highest level since October 2007.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500, Dow Jones industrials and Nasdaq Composite all marked record finishes.

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.

The Straits Times Index lost 0.16 percent or 5 points to 3,230. It ended 0.22 percent higher on Tuesday, taking the year-to-date performance to about 12 percent.

Among the lenders, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp fell 0.2 percent , DBS Group Holdings lost 0.5 percent and United Overseas Bank declined 0.6 percent.

Keppel DC REIT said it acquired a data centre in Dublin, Ireland for 66 million euros. Its shares fell 0.4 percent.

Gainers included Gardenia bread maker QAF, which rose 2 percent after saying it plans to list its pork production and feedmilling business on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Singapore-listed Croesus Retail Trust gained 0.4 percent after a majority of its unitholders voted in favour of Blackstone's proposed acquisition of Japanese retail mall owner.

About 1.8 billion shares worth S$1.1 billion changed hands, with gainers outnumbering losers 202 to 194.

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