Market Snapshot

Singapore stocks opened higher on Thursday. STI up 0.3%; YZJ Shipbldg up 4%; Venture, SingPost and DBS up1 %; Straits Trading down 4%; UOB down 1%.

Stocks in Focus

DBS : The local bank on Thursday announced that its net profit for the three months ended Jun 30 rose 1 per cent to S$2.82 billion, from S$2.79 billion in the same year-ago period. Net interest income was higher on strong deposit growth and balance sheet hedging; fee income and treasury customer sales rose to their second-highest quarterly levels. The earnings beat the S$2.79 billion consensus forecast slightly in a Bloomberg survey of six analysts. The lender declared an ordinary dividend of S$0.60 per share and a capital return dividend of S$0.15 per share for the period. This brings the quarter’s total dividend payout to S$0.75 per share, compared with the S$0.54 in the year-ago period. Its shares closed 1.3 per cent or S$0.61 higher at S$48.85 on Wednesday.

UOB : The lender announced on Thursday that its Q2 net profit was at S$1.34 billion, a 6 per cent decline from S$1.43 billion in the same period a year before, as net interest income eased on lower margins. This result missed the S$1.48 billion consensus estimate in a Bloomberg poll of six analysts. The bank declared an interim dividend of S$0.85 per share for the half year ended Jun 30, a decrease from S$0.88 in the year prior. In addition, a second tranche of UOB’s S$0.50 per share special dividend will be paid out to shareholders. Net interest income for the quarter also fell 3 per cent to S$2.34 billion, as net interest margin declined 14 basis points to 1.91 per cent, from 2.05 per cent the year before. Shares of UOB closed up 0.2 per cent or S$0.08 at S$36.45 on Wednesday.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding : The mainboard-listed shipbuilder on Wednesday reported net profit of 4.2 billion yuan (S$752.6 million) for the six months ended Jun 30, a record-high for the group and a 36.7 per cent surge from 3.1 billion yuan for the same period the year prior. Revenue declined 1.3 per cent year on year for H1 FY2025, to 12.9 billion yuan, however. The company’s net profit margin rose to 32.5 per cent, from 23.4 per cent in the same year-ago period, and earnings per share increased to 1.0602 yuan from 0.7742 yuan. No dividend was declared for the period. The counter closed 2.3 per cent or S$0.06 up at S$2.63 on Wednesday, before the results were posted.

Sats : The ground handler on Wednesday issued S$300 million worth of 2.45 per cent fixed-rate notes under its US$3 billion multicurrency dept issuance programme, established in November 2023. Due in 2032, the notes are expected to be on the official list of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading with effect from 9 am on Aug 7. Sats shares finished Wednesday 0.3 per cent or S$0.01 lower at S$3.21, before the announcement.

Venture Corporation : The technology solutions provider on Wednesday posted a 2.3 per increase in net profit to S$57.1 million for Q2 ended June, a rise from S$55.9 million in the previous quarter. Revenue increased 4.7 per cent to S$645.3 million for the period, from S$616.6 million in Q1. The increase was driven by growth across most of its technology domains. For H1 2025, however, the group had an 8.6 per cent dip in net profit to about S$113 million, from S$123.7 million the year prior. Shares of Venture Corp closed at S$12.72, down 0.8 per cent or S$0.10, ahead of its results release.

The Straits Trading Company : The investment company expects to report a net loss for the six months ended June, compared to a net profit for the year-ago period, it said in a Wednesday profit guidance announcement. This is mainly due to losses from its share of an associate, amid adverse changes in fair value of certain UK investment properties, and losses arising from the remeasurement of exchangeable bonds. The group said its overall business and financial position remain healthy, with sufficient liquidity to meet its operational and financial commitments. The counter ended Wednesday 1.2 per cent or S$0.02 higher at S$1.65.

CSE Global : The company secured S$211.3 million of new orders in the second quarter ended June, a 3.8 per cent increase from the year-ago period. This was led by the electrification business, as the segment’s order intake grew 5.5 per cent on the year to S$94.8 million for the quarter. On a half-year basis, the group’s order intake dropped 3.2 per cent for the first half to S$366.7 million. The counter ended Wednesday 0.8 per cent or S$0.005 higher at S$0.675, before the announcement.

Vin’s Holdings : Its former chief financial officer (CFO) Yat Wan Thiam resigned from the role on Wednesday, which was her last day of employment at the company, one day after the automative group said it expects to report a net loss for its first half ended June. The group said Yat resigned due to 「personal family commitments」 and that its sponsor RHB Bank is satisfied that there are no other material reasons for her resignation. The finance team will oversee the finance and accounting functions of the group and its subsidiaries as Vin’s Holdings searches for a new CFO. Shares of Vin’s Holdings finished Wednesday 10.3 per cent or S$0.03 lower at S$0.26, before the news.

SG Local News

169 million dollar HDB flats sold in July

169 HDB resale flats worth at least $1m were sold in July, an increase from 132 sold in June.

The number of million-dollar flats sold comprised 6.6% of the total resale volume in the month.

SGX ETFs grow 32% YoY with $700m in first-half net inflows

Singapore Exchange (SGX)-listed Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) recorded net inflows of $700m in the first half of 2025, pushing total Assets Under Management (AUM) to $14.3b, a 32% increase YoY.

The ETF market on SGX now boasts 47 listings, reflecting growing investor interest across asset classes, particularly in gold, sustainability, and local equity-focused ETFs.