SINGAPORE: Singapore stocks opened lower on Friday with the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) at 2,861.20 at 9.04am, down 22.69 points or 0.79 per cent. This was after US stocks fell overnight.
The drop was attributed to the market being thwarted from its expectations of more stimulus from the European Central Bank (ECB), even as the ECB said it will continue a bond-buying programme and cut a key interest rate to -0.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, a US jobs report is due to be released on Friday.
Some 65.5 million shares worth S$58.1 million were traded. Losers outnumbered gainers 99 to 27. Top stocks traded were DBS, Singtel, OCBC, Genting Singapore and NOL.