Singapore shares tracked regional gains to soar more than 1% on Wednesday, as markets responded positively to the possibility of the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates following weaker revised US jobs market data.
The Straits Times Index (STI), a key benchmark for the Singapore Exchange, ranged between 4,295.18 and 4,355.84 throughout the day. It ended the session at 4,346.46, up 48.89 points or 1.14% compared to Tuesday's close.
DBS Group up 3.6%; Food Empire up over 2%; Golden Agri-Res, Thomson Medical, Singtel, Genting Sing, Great Eastern, SGX up over 1%.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revised down the number of new jobs in the 12 months through March by a massive 911,000, indicating that the US economy was slowing brisker than anticipated. This lifted investors' hopes for an interest rate cut.
In company news, shares of LHN were up over 8%, as its occupancy rates remained strong across the board during the fiscal third quarter ended June 30.
Sim Leisure Group's shares were down nearly 6% at the close after its subsidiary, Sim Leisure Escape, will receive compensation for a terminated theme park agreement with Bandar Malaysia.
Meanwhile, shares of TOTM Technologies were down over 9% as it signed an MOU with Agentis Intelligence to collaborate on various opportunities.