Singapore's STI Index Rises 0.1% Amid US-Iran Tensions

Gate News message, April 20 — Singapore stocks closed higher on April 20, with the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) gaining 0.1 percent or 6.14 points to finish at 5,004.07 points, even as investors remained cautious over rising tensions between the US and Iran.

UOL led gainers among STI constituents, rising 5.1 percent to $10.68, while Seatrium was the worst performer, falling 2.9 percent to $2.35. Among Singapore's three major banks, UOB remained flat at $37.40, DBS edged down 0.02 percent to $57.24, and OCBC lost 0.2 percent to $22.67. On the iEdge Singapore Next 50 Index, Singapore Post surged 7.2 percent to $0.37, while CSE Global fell 4.3 percent to $1.33.

Market-wide, decliners slightly outpaced gainers at 300 to 297, with 1.8 billion securities worth $1.8 billion changing hands. Regional indexes moved higher: Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.8 percent, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.6 percent, and South Korea's KOSPI climbed 0.4 percent. Oil prices surged on concerns that the fragile US-Iran ceasefire could deteriorate.