Roundup: Singapore stocks end down 0.21 pct

Singapore shares closed 0.21 percent lower on Tuesday, as investors took profit after overnight rally in Wall Street.

U.S. stocks jumped on Monday following rally in Chinese equities.

But gain in Singapore bourse was capped by profit-taking and losses in oil-related stocks as the March 31 deadline loomed for Iran and six world powers negotiating a deal on Tehran's nuclear program.

If a deal is reached to end Western sanctions, Iran would be able to ship more crude oil into an already saturated market.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 7.25 points to 3, 447.01 points. Trading volume was 1.35 billion shares worth 1.39 billion Singapore dollars. Decliners outnumbered advancers 240 to 205, while 488 stocks did not move.

Yanlord Land rose 2.6 percent to 98 Singapore cents.

China on Monday relaxed rules on down-payment requirements and housing tax for home buyers. DBS Group Research said the move is positive for property companies with China exposure such as Yanlord.

SembCorp Marine fell 0.3 percent at 2.92 Singapore dollars. It announced that it has entered into an exclusive letter of intent ( LOI) with Heerema Offshore Services B.V. for the engineering and construction of a new semi-submersible crane vessel (NSCV).

When completed, the NSCV will be the largest crane vessel in the world with a vessel length of 214 meters and a width of 97.5 meters. SembCorp Marine did not disclose the value of the LOI.

Among the top gainers, Jardine Cycle and Carriage rebounded 0.8 percent to 41.06 Singapore dollars, whereas UOB became one of the top losers by falling one percent to 23 Singapore dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 1.37 Singapore dollars) Endi