Weekly Wrap of STI : Singapore Stock Market

Straits Times Index (STI) opened at 2887.41 and ended -8.44 points or 0.29% lower to 2879.59 this week. STI came off from its weekly peak of 2919.77 and low of 2837.59.

STI was up 0.1% at 2,898.27 shortly after the open, showing the muted reaction of investors to the US Federal Reserve's overnight decision to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged.

Singapore's industrial production for August is forecasted to fall by 5% on-year mainly as demand weakens due to economic slowdown in China. The pace of downward revisions for corporate earnings in Singapore and Asean has slowed this month. Consensus downward revisions have slowed to 0.2% for MSCI Singapore companies, from 1.5% average downward revisions for earnings in August.

STI was in consolidation this week. As FED did not increase the US ineterst rate, the market is expected to be positive next week. It is expected to m,ove in the range of 2800 - 2930. However, if it breaks the resistance level of 2930, it is expected to go up till 3000.

STI COUNTER SPECIFIC NEWS

• Sembcorp Industries has tied up with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) to be the country's first industrial "living laboratory". It will grant technology providers access to its proprietary wastewater treatment and waste-to-energy facilities on Jurong Island for late-stage test-bedding and co-innovation of water and environmental technologies.
• Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (A-Reit) is looking to make its maiden acquisition of 26 logistics properties in Australia for A$1.013 billion from GIC and Frasers Property Australia.
• Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) announced on Thursday that the executive vice-president of its Corporate Development Division (CDD), Deborah Lee, 58, will be leaving the company to pursue personal interests with effect from Dec 16, 2015, after eight years of service.
• Silverlake Axis is buying SunGard Ambit (Singapore), or SAS, for US$12 million to expand its suite of software and services as well as deepen and broaden its customer relationships and geographical presence.

GLOBAL FACTORS AND WORLD INDICES

• Hong Kong equities traced most Asian markets higher Friday as traders welcomed the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates at record lows, while Shanghai ended another volatile week on a positive note. Hang Seng Index added 0.30 per cent, or 66.20 points, to close at 21,920.83
• China stocks ended a volatile week slightly higher on Friday, after the US Federal Reserve held off from raising interest rates citing concerns about a weak world economy. Index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen rose 0.4 per cent, to 3,251.27, but was down 2.9 per cent for the week.
• The Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange dropped 1.96 per cent, or 362.06 points, to close at 18,070.21, while the broader Topic index of all first-section shares was down 1.98 per cent, or 29.53 points, at 1,462.38.
• US central bank's decision to hold off hiking interest rates sent emerging market currencies and most Asian markets advancing on Friday, as concerns eased over an outflow of cash as the global economy suffers a painful slowdown.
• Australian shares ended higher on Friday, shaking off a negative lead from Wall Street after the head of the central bank made reassuring comments about the economy.
• Malaysia's inflation in August likely cooled to 3.0 per cent on lower fuel prices and after the Muslim Eid al-Fitr celebrations, a Reuters poll showed on Friday.
• Ringgit was set to snap the longest run of weekly declines in more than four decades after the US refrained from raising interest rates and a rally in the price of Brent crude improved prospects for the net oil exporter.
• Bank of Japan policymakers agreed that emerging economies had suffered from weak growth but were likely to improve from a longer-term perspective, minutes of the central bank's August policy meeting.
• Gold dropped from a two-week high on Friday, giving back some of the sharp gains from the last two days, as the Federal Reserve's decision to hold US interest rates steady this week added to uncertainty over the timing of an eventual rate hike.
• Oil markets were weak on Friday as fresh signs Opec will continue to value market share over prices outweighed expectations of a lift when the United States kept interest rates at historic lows.