SGX Singapore Opening Market Update

SINGAPORE share prices opened flat on Monday with the Straits Times Index up 2.05 points to 3,352.55.

Volume was 84.9 million shares worth S$91.7 million.

Losers outnumbered gainers 64 to 60.

U.S Market Update

Black Friday, the biggest US shopping "holiday", kicked off with expectations that lower gasoline prices and higher consumer confidence could mean better year-end retail sales than last year.

The buying frenzy started early, turning Thursday's Thanksgiving Day holiday into what the industry has begun calling "Gray Thursday".

Big retail chains like Walmart, Target and Macy's opened their doors at 6.00 pm (0100 GMT Friday) in hopes of boosting their weekend sales, even before many Americans had finished the traditional turkey holiday feast.

Walmart and Target boasted that the strategy was a success, saying they were swamped with customers - without saying how many.

Forex Market Update

The Russian ruble dropped to a new all-time low against the U.S. dollar on Friday while other oil-related currencies also got crushed a day after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries did nothing to alleviate an oil glut.

Russia’s currency USDRUB, +2.30%  on Friday traded at 49.965 against the greenback, its weakest level ever. The dollar bought 48.795 rubles late Thursday.

The dollar rose 0.7% versus the Canadian dollar USDCAD, +0.74%   to fetch C$1.1426

The euro EURUSD, -0.13%  fell 0.1% versus the dollar to $1.2443, while the ICE dollar index DXY, +0.24%  , a measure of the U.S. unit against a basket of six major rivals, rose 0.8% to 88.337.

The dollar USDJPY, +0.78%  was at ¥118.66, up from ¥117.74 late Thursday in New York.