Roundup: Singapore stocks end down 0.18 pct

Singapore shares closed 0.18 percent lower on Friday, as Singapore export numbers failed to lift investors' sentiment.

Singapore government data showed an 18.5 percent growth in March non-oil domestic exports compared with a 9.4 percent contraction in February. The growth is the fastest monthly pace reported since 2003 and is driven primarily by drilling rigs, pharmaceuticals and electronics.

While Barclays Capital said that despite their notorious volatility, Singapore's March exports data suggest that the external sector was not as bad in the first quarter as previously feared. However, ANZ Bank said "we feel it is too early to extrapolate these results as a new trend."

Meanwhile, U.S. housing starts rose far less than expected in March and factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region grew modestly this month, suggesting the economic momentum will probably not be strong enough for the U.S. Federal Reserve to decide to raise interest rates as early as June.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 6.42 points to 3, 472.38 points. Trading volume was 2.5 billion shares worth 1.4 billion Singapore dollars. Decliners outnumbered advancers 237 to 226, while 472 stocks did not move.

ISOTeam Limited rose 1.6 percent to 65.5 Singapore cents. It announced that it has been awarded 9 contracts worth a total of 31. 1 million Singapore dollars. This includes 6 repairs and redecoration contracts from the public sector worth 29.2 million Singapore dollars and another 3 private sector projects. The works are expected to be completed by November 2016.

Among top gainers, DBS Group rose 0.9 percent to 21.19 Singapore dollars, while Jardine Matheson became one of the top losers by falling 1.4 percent to 61.76 U.S. dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 1.35 Singapore dollars) Endi