Singapore shares closed slightly higher on Tuesday, mirroring regional gains, as the Ministry of Trade and Industry lifted the city-state's full-year GDP growth forecast for 2026, driven by a faster-than expected expansion in Q4 2025.

The Straits Times Index (STI), a key benchmark for the Singapore Exchange, ranged between 4,934.27 and 4,964.41 throughout the day. It ended the session at 4,964.25, up 3.42 points or nearly 0.1% compared to Monday's close.

The economy expanded 6.9% year-on-year in Q4, faster than the 4.6% growth in the previous quarter, according to the Singapore Department of Statistics.

Meanwhile, Singapore Exchange's (SGX:S68) turnover value surged 66% year over year in January to SG$34.6 billion, with securities daily average up 58% to SG$1.65 billion.

In corporate news, shares of AsiaPhos (SGX:5WV) surged nearly 13% at the close as it signed a non-binding letter of intent with China Mobile International to form a strategic partnership for data center and AI computing opportunities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Metro Holdings (SGX:M01) was up nearly 6%, with the company set to divest its 26% interest in Boustead Industrial Fund (BIF) through subsidiary Metrobilt Construction.

Meanwhile, shares of Boustead Singapore (SGX:F9D) closed nearly 1% higher as it received approval from the SGX-ST to list UI Boustead REIT on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange.

STI up 0.1%; Keppel up 3%; Yangzijiang Shipbuilding up 2%; SIA Engineering up 1%; OUE, DBS down 1%.