Roundup: Singapore stocks end down 1.03 pct

Singapore shares closed 1.03 percent lower on Thursday, as a lack of clarity on the timing of U. S. interest rate hike weighed on investors' sentiment.

Minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's July meeting provided no clear signs of having settled on whether to raise interest rates in their September meeting, given wide-ranging views about factors from U.S. economic data to the role of China's growth.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 31.47 points to 3,009.78 points. Trading volume was 1.44 billion shares worth 1.24 billion Singapore dollars. Decliners outnumbered advancers 418 to 83, while 440 stocks did not move.

Rex International closed flat at 10.7 Singapore cents. It announced that a jointly controlled entity will acquire a 30 percent stake in an area in the North Sea known as license PL410.

The license is located south of the Edvard Grieg oil field in the North Sea, and contains a number of interesting exploration targets that are being evaluated.

Thakral Corporation fell 1.7 percent to 29 Singapore cents. It has established a program with investment management group Aberdeen Asset Management Asia to invest in Australian real estate projects.

The program will focus on projects on the East Coast, particularly in the central business districts and developed suburbs of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

Among top gainers, Neptune Orient Lines surged 7 percent to 84. 5 Singapore cents, while Jardine Cycle and Carriage became one of the top losers by falling 1 percent to 29.09 Singapore dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 1.41 Singapore dollars) Endi