Singapore stocks continue losing steak on Friday, STI falls 0.6%

On Friday, October 2, Singapore stocks continued to decline as the Straits Times Index (STI) fell 0.6% or 32.85 points to close at 5,634.82. Thai Beverage was among the gainers, increasing 1.2% or S$0.005 to S$0.43, while DFI Retail Group suffered the most significant loss, dropping 8.8% or US$0.30 to US$3.10. The three local banks - OCBC, DBS, and UOB - finished with mixed results, with OCBC up 0.4% at S$31.66, DBS down 0.2% at S$77.21, and UOB lower by 0.5% at S$43.11.

The iEdge Singapore Next 50 Index also fell 0.1% or 1.12 points to 1,480.44, with PC Partner emerging as the top gainer at 5.6% or S$0.18 to S$3.38. Conversely, UOB Kay Hian was the biggest decliner at 4.1% or S$0.16 to S$3.72. Within the broader market, there were 223 gainers for every 335 losers, following a trading volume of 1.3 billion securities worth S$2.3 billion.

Hiap Seng Ind was the most actively traded stock, with 159.4 million shares exchanged, while DBS saw the highest trading volume in terms of value at 4.5 million shares worth S$349.8 million.

Global markets were mixed, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index down 2.6%, Japan's Nikkei 225 falling 0.9%, South Korea's Kospi up 0.5%, and the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI remaining flat. The rise in prices-paid figures from the US Purchasing Managers Index impacted US equities, and 10- and 30-year US Treasuries had reached multi-decade highs.

According to Jose Torres, a senior economist at Interactive Brokers, rising yields and the US dollar's strength have negatively impacted Wall Street sentiment. Furthermore, President Trump's recent statement that the US military could launch airstrikes against Iran following the midterm elections has added geopolitical uncertainty, exacerbating the negative trend in US equities.