Singapore shares opened lower on Friday, with the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) declining 39.24 points or 0.7% to 5,542.52 as investors monitored weaker global sentiment.
Market breadth remained negative in early trading, with 85 gainers compared with 191 decliners. Trading activity stood at 132.40 million shares valued at S$238.04 million as at 9.29am.
Among major index counters, DBS Group Holdings slipped 67 cents or 0.91% to S$72.83, while Singtel traded at S$4.40.
Other key STI constituents including OCBC Bank, ST Engineering and United Overseas Bank were also among the actively watched counters, with OCBC at S$28.58, ST Engineering at S$10.59 and UOB at S$42.71.
The decline followed overnight weakness on Wall Street, where US equities ended lower as investors weighed concerns over artificial intelligence spending, rising oil prices and renewed inflation risks. The Nasdaq Composite fell more than 2%, while the S&P 500 dropped over 1%.
Investors were also tracking higher crude oil prices after Brent futures climbed above US$100 a barrel amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, raising concerns that renewed energy disruptions could keep inflation elevated and influence the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook.
In the derivatives market, SGX trading volume stood at 62.69 thousand contracts. FTSE China A50 Index Futures for July 2026 were at 15,171 points with 6,250 contracts traded.
Other futures contracts saw Nikkei 225 Index Futures for September 2026 at 64,665 points, SGX FTSE Taiwan Index Futures for July 2026 at 3,812.75 points, MSCI Singapore Index Futures for July 2026 at 513.15 points and FTSE China H50 Index Futures for July 2026 at 15,722.50 points.
In the currency futures market, USD/SGD Futures for August 2026 were quoted at 1.2895, while USD/CNH Futures for September 2026 stood at 6.7531.
