SINGAPORE – Singapore stocks ended flat on Dec 26, even as the latest factory output data pointed to continued strength in manufacturing activity. <\/p>\n
The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) was little changed, edging down 0.19 point to close at 4,636.15. The iEdge Singapore Next 50 Index rose 0.1 per cent, or 1.06 points, to 1,449.67.<\/p>\n
Across the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers 225 to 170, with 764.9 million securities worth $667.8 million traded.<\/p>\n
Regional markets were mixed. Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.7 per cent and South Korea\u2019s Kospi gained 0.5 per cent. <\/p>\n
Malaysia\u2019s FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI slipped 0.1 per cent.<\/p>\n
On the data front, Singapore\u2019s factory output jumped 14.3 per cent year on year, driven by a surge in pharmaceutical manufacturing, though this moderated from October\u2019s revised 28.9 per cent growth, figures from the Economic Development Board showed. <\/p>\n
The reading came in just below private-sector economists\u2019 median forecast of a 15 per cent expansion in a Bloomberg poll.<\/p>\n
On the STI, Thai Beverage led the gainers, rising 1.1 per cent to 46 cents.<\/p>\n
The weakest performer among blue-chip constituents was Jardine Matheson, which fell 1.4 per cent to US$66.65.<\/p>\n