Daily Markets Briefing: STI down 0.19%

Ongoing US-China trade negotiations may boost local sentiment.

The Straits Times Index (STI) ended 6.17 or 0.19% lower at 3,259.80.

The top active stocks were DBS, which dropped 0.4%,OCBC, which dipped 0.6%, Singtel, which remained unchanged, UOB, which slipped 0.27%, and CapitaLand with a 1.5% advance.

The FTSE Mid Cap dipped 0.36% whilst the FTSE Small Cap slipped 0.11%.

According to OCBC Investment Research (OIR), US stocks closed higher Tuesday as another round of US-China trade talks began in Washington.

Nine out of eleven S&P 500 industries ended higher, led by Materials (0.58%) and Utilities (0.54%). Health Care (-0.25%) and Industrials (-0.07%) lost ground.

"US-China trade talks remain the front and center of investors’ minds, with the optimism that the two sides can continue to make progress towards a deal," OIR said.