Singapore stocks end down 0.13 pct

Singapore shares closed 0.13 percent lower on Thursday, as weak Singapore growth data and China's trade numbers weighed on market sentiment.

Share trading in the Singapore Exchange was suspended just before midday due to technical glitch and unable to resume for the rest of the day despite attempts by the bourse operator to fix the problem. The latest incident was the fourth interruption on the exchange in the past two years.

Investors' sentiment were earlier dampened by reports that Singapore economy expanded 0.8 percent in the April to June period from the previous three months on an annualized and seasonally adjusted basis, which was slightly lower than the 0.9 percent rise forecast by market in average.

Meanwhile, China's trade data continue to disappoint investors with both imports and exports falling more than expected. China's imports drop 8.4 percent from a year ago in June while exports fell 4.8 percent, raising concerns of the country's economy ahead of second-quarter gross domestic product results due Friday.

Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index inched down 3.73 points to 2,906.92 points. Trading volume was 539 million shares worth 335 million Singapore dollars. Decliners outnumbered advancers 144 to 123, while 640 stocks did not move.

Soilbuild Business Space Reit rose 0.7 percent to 70.5 Singapore cents. The real estate investment trust reported a 3.7 percent on-year rise in its second quarter net property income despite a challenging business environment. However, its distribution per unit fell 3.1 percent on-year to 1.565 Singapore cents. Its occupancy rate was 92 percent and average lease expiry currently stands at 4.6 years as at June 30.

Among the top gainers, Jardine Strategic rose 0.4 percent to 30.02 U.S. dollars, whereas Jardine Matheson became one of the top losers by falling 1.8 percent to 57.62 U.S. dollars (1 U.S. dollar equals to 1.34 Singapore dollars) Endit