Singapore shares dip as MAS holds policy and GDP beats forecasts
The STI closed at 5,423.33 on October 14, with Jardine Matheson leading gains and Keppel DC Reit recording the largest decline.
Singapore’s Straits Times Index (STI) finished October 14 down 7.17 points, or 0.1 per cent, at 5,423.33 as investors assessed unchanged monetary policy settings and third-quarter economic growth that exceeded expectations.
Declining counters numbered 284, compared with 238 that advanced. Trading across the market involved 980.7 million securities valued at S$1.9 billion.
Among STI constituents, Jardine Matheson recorded the strongest gain, adding US$1.32, or 2.3 per cent, to reach US$57.74. Keppel DC Reit was the weakest performer, shedding S$0.04, or 1.9 per cent, to S$2.07.
The local banks had a mixed session. UOB rose S$0.13, or 0.3 per cent, to S$41.06. DBS ended at S$74.34 after losing S$0.13, or 0.2 per cent, while OCBC dropped S$0.20, or 0.7 per cent, to S$29.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) left its exchange-rate policy settings intact after tightening twice earlier in the year. Advance figures from the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry put third-quarter economic growth at 5.4 per cent year on year, above the Bloomberg poll’s consensus forecast of 5.1 per cent.
That result and revisions raising earlier figures led UOB, DBS, OCBC and Maybank to increase their growth forecasts for the whole of 2026. MAS expects further economic expansion, citing strong AI-product orders and additional production capacity as near-term support for technology-related sectors.
