Roundup: Singapore stocks end down 1.06 pct

Singapore shares closed 1.06 percent lower on Thursday after U.S. reported weak economic data overnight.

U.S. consumer prices unexpectedly fell in December, suggesting inflation is more sluggish that the U.S. Federal Reserve believes. Other data on Wednesday also showed a drop in housing starts and building permits last month, which led investors to wonder whether the Federal Reserve will further raise interest rate this year.

Meanwhile, U.S. stocks ended lower overnight, led by the energy sector as oil price continued its decline and concerns about the health of the global economy remained much in focus. The weak U.S. markets continued to weigh on investors' sentiment.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 27.07 points to 2,532.70 points. Trading volume was 1.16 billion shares worth 1.39 billion Singapore dollars. Decliners outnumbered advancers 288 to 127, while 509 stocks did not move.

Among top actives, Rex International Holding dropped 1.4 percent to 6.8 Singapore cents. It said its unit, Lime Petroleum Norway AS, has been offered participation in five exploration and production licenses in the 2015 Norwegian Licensing Round. The licenses are located within Lime Norway's core areas close to infrastructure with reputed operators and participating interest ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent.

Keppel Corporation fell 0.6 percent to 4.80 Singapore dollars. It announced a 44 percent decline in fourth-quarter earnings to 405 million Singapore dollars from 726 million Singapore dollars a year ago, as more than half of project deliveries it had planned for 2015 were pushed back to this year. Its fourth-quarter revenue also fell 36.8 percent to 2.48 billion Singapore dollars.

Among the top gainers, Jardine Cycle and Carriage rose 1.9 percent to 33.98 Singapore dollars, whereas Jardine Matheson became one of the top losers by falling 1.2 percent to 50.40 U.S. dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 1.44 Singapore dollars) Endit