SGX Stock Recommendations

MARKET UPDATES :

• The Straits Times Index (STI) ended -19.67 points lower or -0.58% to 3378.59, taking the year-to-date per- formance to +0.40%.

• The FTSE ST Mid Cap Index declined -0.80% while the FTSE ST Small Cap Index declined -0.76%. The top ac- tive stocks were SingTel (-0.24%), Noble (-1.60%), DBS (-0.66%), UOB (-0.70%) and Keppel Corp (unchanged).

• The outperforming sectors today were represented by the FTSE ST Utilities Index (+0.12%). The two biggest stocks of the FTSE ST Utilities Index are United Envirotech (unchanged) and Hyflux (+0.58%). The underper- forming sector was the FTSE ST Technology Index, which declined -2.11% with Silverlake Axis’ share price de- clining -2.40% and STATS ChipPAC’s share price declining -1.01%.

• The three most active Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) by value today were the DBXT IBOXX Singapore ETF (- 1.31%), SPDR Gold Shares (+0.28%), DBXT FTSE Vietnam ETF (unchanged).

• The three most active Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) by value were Suntec REIT (-3.18%), CapitaCom Trust (-1.15%), CapitaMall Trust (-0.48%).

• The most active index warrants by value today were HSI25000MBeCW150429 (-17.33%), HSI23800M- BePW150330 (+23.26%), HSI24400MBeCW150429 (-16.51%).

• The most active stock warrants by value today were DBS MB eCW150420 (-14.04%), OCBC Bk MBeCW150803 (-8.74%), SGX MB eCW150803 (-2.46%).

Current Market Update

Tokyo (Nikkei Average NIK, +0.01% ) up 0.1% 
Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index HSI, +0.49% ) up 0.5% (at break) 
Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index SHCOMP, +1.82% ) up 1.8% (at break) 
Sydney (S&P/ASX 200 XJO, -0.23% ) down 0.2% 
Seoul (Kospi SEU, +0.21% ) up 0.2% 
Mumbai (Sensex 1, -0.08% ) flat 
Taipei (Taiex Y9999, -0.31% ) down 0.2%

SGX Singapore Opening Market Update

SINGAPORE share prices opened lower on Monday with the Straits Times Index (STI) down 0.75 points to 3,362.02 as at 9.04am, tracing losses in the US markets.

Top gainers in early trading included UOB, while top losers included its peers DBS and OCBC.

Banks have underperformed since the start of the year due to profit-taking and concerns about an economic slowdown and higher credit costs, noted a Nomura report dated March 12.

"We believe that while some of these concerns are warranted, the market has ignored the very positive impact of rising short-term interest rates. In our opinion, this is the single most important catalyst for these banks at this stage of the cycle, as it offers them significant operating leverage," the brokerage said.

Some 61.8 million shares worth S$92.6 million changed hands as at 9.04am on Monday, with losers outnumbering gainers 91 to 57.