Singapore Bourse Tipped To Reclaim 3,600-Point Level

(RTTNews) - The Singapore stock market bounced higher again on Wednesday, one day after ending the two-day winning streak in which it had picked up more than 20 points or 0.6 percent. The Straits Times Index now sits just above the 3,595-point plateau and it may add to its winnings on Thursday.

The global forecast for the Asian markets is positive on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were up and the Asian bourses are expected to follow suit.

The STI finished modestly higher on Wednesday following mixed performances from the financial shares and industrial companies.

For the day, the index gained 19.97 points or 0.56 percent to finish at 3,595.66 after trading between 3,577.48 and 3,606.79.

Among the actives, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust improved 0.95 percent, while CapitaLand Investment dropped 0.66 percent, City Developments slumped 1.12 percent, DBS Group advanced 1.17 percent, Genting Singapore shed 0.57 percent, Hongkong Land plummeted 2.89 percent, Keppel DC REIT jumped 1.40 percent, Keppel Ltd lost 0.46 percent, Mapletree Industrial Trust gained 0.82 percent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation rallied 1.21 percent, SATS rose 0.27 percent, Seatrium Limited plunged 2.86 percent, Singapore Technologies Engineering added 0.86 percent, Wilmar International sank 0.60 percent, Yangzijiang Financial tumbled 1.22 percent, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding climbed 1.19 percent and SingTel, Thai Beverage, Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust, SembCorp Industries, Emperador, Mapletree Logistics Trust, Comfort DelGro and Frasers Logistics & Commercial Trust were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street is upbeat as the major averages opened flat on Wednesday but tracked consistently higher as the day progressed, ending near session highs.

The Dow surged 431.63 points or 1.03 percent to finish at a record 42,512.00, while the NASDAQ jumped 108.70 points or 0.60 percent to close at 18,291.62 and the S&P 500 rallied 40.91 points or 0.71 percent to also end at a record high 5,792.04.

The strength on Wall Street followed the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's September meeting, which showed that most members favored the larger rate cut rather than a smaller one, generating optimism for future cuts.

In economic news, the Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit shrank to $70.4 billion in August from a revised $78.9 billion in July. Economists had expected the trade deficit to decrease to $70.6 billion from the $78.8 billion originally reported for the previous month.

Crude oil prices fell Wednesday after data showed a big jump in crude inventories which outweighed possible supply disruptions due to Hurricane Milton and Middle East tensions. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for November fell $0.33 or 0.45 percent at $73.24 a barrel.