The Singapore stock market has moved lower in two straight sessions, dipping almost 25 points or 0.7 percent along the way. The Straits Times Index now rests just beneath the 3,230-point plateau, although it may find traction on Friday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is mixed and flat following uninspired economic data and a slight drop in crude oil prices. The European markets were slightly higher and the U.S. bourses were mixed and little changed - and the Asian markets figure to split the difference.
The STI finished slightly lower on Thursday following losses from the financials and industrials, while the properties were mixed.
For the day, the index shed 4.41 points or 0.14 percent to finish at 3,228.06 after trading between 3,226.90 and 3,254.44. Volume was 2 billion shares worth 1.14 billion Singapore dollars. There were 194 gainers and 192 decliners.
Among the actives, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding plummeted 2.09 percent, while Singapore Press Holdings spiked 1.47 percent, Golden Agri-Resources skidded 1.28 percent, CapitaLand Mall Trust tumbled 0.96 percent, Comfort DelGro shed 0.91 percent, Ascendas REIT climbed 0.75 percent, Global Logistic Properties jumped 0.61 percent, Thai Beverage and SingTel both lost 0.54 percent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation fell 0.27 percent and Genting Singapore and DBS Group were unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is cloudy as stocks showed a lack of direction on Thursday, bouncing back and forth across the unchanged line before ending roughly flat.
The NASDAQ added 4.55 points or 0.1 percent to 6,397.87, while the Dow dipped 22.86 points or 0.1 percent to 21,784.78 and the S&P 500 shed 0.44 points or 0.1 percent to 2,465.10.
The choppy trade followed the European Central Bank's highly anticipated monetary policy announcement. The ECB kept its interest rates unchanged and said it expects rates to remain at current levels for an extended period of time.
In economic news, the Labor Department noted a sharp increase in first-time claims for jobless benefits in the week ended September 2. A separate report showed labor productivity increased more than estimated in Q2.
Crude oil futures inched lower Thursday but held above $49 a barrel after data confirmed a large build in U.S. oil inventories. Stockpiles rose due a decline in demand from refineries damaged by Hurricane Harvey. October WTI oil was down 7 cents or 0.1 percent to $49.09/bbl.
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Market Analysis
April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.