Daily Markets Briefing: STI up 0.44%

Expect muted gains today.

The Straits Times Index (STI) ended 14.55 points or 0.44% higher to 3315.9, taking the year-to-date performance to -2.56%.

The top active stocks today were DBS, which slipped 0.33%, UOB, which rose 0.45%, Venture, which dipped 1.51%, OCBC Bank, which gained 0.51% and Singtel, with a 0.31% fall.

The FTSE ST Mid Cap Index rose 0.65%, whilst the FTSE ST Small Cap Index gained 0.60%.

OCBC Investment Research noted that US stock-market indexes closed mostly higher, though the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted its seventh consecutive daily decline, its longest losing streak since March 2017.

Seven out of eleven S&P 500 industries ended higher, led by Real Estate (1.10%) and Consumer Discretionary (0.48%) whilst Telecommunication Services (-0.95%) and Materials (-0.39%) led the declines.

"The mixed performances on Wall Street overnight could keep local sentiment muted today, with investors still finely tuned to the twists and turns in the U.S.-China trade disputes," OCBC Investment Research said.