SGX Stock Recommendations

MARKET UPDATES :

• The Straits Times Index (STI) ended -23.32 points lower or -0.68% to 3402.86, taking the year-to-date per- formance to +1.12%.

• The FTSE ST Mid Cap Index declined -0.18% while the FTSE ST Small Cap Index declined -0.17%. The top ac- tive stocks were OCBC Bank (-1.04%), SingTel (-1.40%), Noble (-8.02%), DBS (-0.61%) and UOB (+0.35%).

• The outperforming sectors today were represented by the FTSE ST Basic Materials Index (+0.61%). The two biggest stocks of the FTSE ST Basic Materials Index are Midas Holdings (-1.59%) and Geo Energy Resources (- 0.52%). The underperforming sector was the FTSE ST Consumer Goods Index, which declined -1.40% with Wilmar International’s share price declining -2.12% and Thai Beverage’s share price declining -1.41%.

• The three most active Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) by value today were the DBXT MSCI Singapore IM ETF (unchanged), STI ETF (-0.59%), IS MSCI India (+0.87%).

• The three most active Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) by value were CapitaCom Trust (-1.40%), Capita- Mall Trust (-0.94%), Ascendas REIT (unchanged).

• The most active index warrants by value today were HSI25000MBeCW150330 (-5.21%), HSI25000M- BeCW150429 (-5.63%), HSI24400MBePW150330 (+2.50%).

Current Market Update

Tokyo (Nikkei Average NIK, +0.31% ) up 0.2%
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index HSI, +0.22% ) up 0.3% 
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, +0.29% ) up 0.3% 
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200 XJO, +0.81% ) up 0.8% 
Seoul (Kospi SEU, +0.23% ) up 0.3% 
Taipei (Taiex Y9999, -0.27% ) flat

Asian Market Update

Asian markets mostly rose Monday after China at the weekend cut interest rates for the second time since November, while better-than-forecast US economic data helped push the dollar up against the yen.

Several key events will also be taking investors' attention this week, including a meeting of China's Communist Party, the European Central Bank and the release of US jobs figures.

Hong Kong added 0.70 per cent, Shanghai gained 0.68 per cent, Tokyo climbed 0.26 per cent by the break, Sydney put on 0.71 per cent and Seoul was 0.33 per cent higher.

The People's Bank of China on Saturday cut interest rates by 25 basis points, citing "historically low inflation" among the factors behind its decision.