The Singapore stock market climbed higher again on Thursday, one session after it had ended the two-day winning streak in which it had gathered more than 60 points or 1.9 percent. The Straits Times Index now rests just beneath the 3,255-point plateau and it's looking at another firm lead on Friday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat thanks to easing concerns over a global trade war. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian markets are expected to open in similar fashion.
The STI finished slightly higher on Thursday as gains from the properties were offset by weakness from the plantations and industrials, while the financials came in mixed.
For the day, the index gained 3.93 points or 0.12 percent to finish at 3,253.01 after trading between 3,240.22 and 3,263.42. Volume was 2.32 billion shares worth 1.12 billion Singapore dollars. There were 251 gainers and 150 decliners.
Among the actives, Genting Singapore surged 3.31 percent, while Golden Agri-Resources plunged 1.85 percent, Hutchison Port Holdings tumbled 1.79 percent, CapitaLand spiked 1.32 percent, SembCorp Industries and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding both skidded 1.12 percent, Thai Beverage jumped 0.69 percent, Wilmar International dropped 0.66 percent, CapitaLand Commercial Trust and Singapore Airlines both advanced 0.57 percent, Keppel Corp shed 0.45 percent, Ascendas REIT added 0.37 percent, SingTel fell 0.31 percent, United Overseas Bank collected 0.30 percent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation lost 0.26 percent, DBS Group eased 0.04 percent and CapitaLand Mall Trust was unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is positive as stocks showed a strong move back to the upside Thursday, more than offsetting the losses in the previous session.
The Dow jumped 224.44 points or 0.91 percent to finish at 24,924.89, while the NASDAQ surged 107.30 points or 1.39 percent to a record closing high of 7,823.92 and the S&P 500 surged 24.27 points or 0.87 percent to 2,798.29.
The rebound was due to optimism about the upcoming earnings season, with several leading financial companies report results on Friday.
Easing trade concerns between the United States and China also contributed to the rally as traders seem optimistic the continued tariff threats will eventually bring the U.S. and China to the table for talks that result in a long-term trade agreement.
In economic news, the Labor Department said consumer prices edged higher in June, as did core CPI. Also, the Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected in the week ended July 7.
Crude oil futures failed to rally Thursday after the International Energy Agency's warning that the world's oil supply cushion "might be stretched to the limit" due to production losses. Crude was down 5 cents to $70.33 a barrel.
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Market Analysis
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.