The Singapore stock market has alternated between positive and negative finishes through the last four trading days since the end of the three-day winning streak in which it had gained almost 60 points or 1.9 percent. The Straits Times Index now rests just above the 3,230-point plateau although it's expected to head south again on Monday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is soft on pessimism over the outlook for interest rates following a stronger than expected jobs report from the United States. The European and U.S. markets were down and the Asian bourses are expected to open in similar fashion.
The STI finished slightly higher on Friday following gains from the properties and mixed performances from the financial shares and industrials.
For the day, the index rose 5.25 points or 0.16 percent to finish at 3,231.97 after trading between 3,224.89 and 3,245.18. Volume was 1.5 billion shares worth 792.2 million Singapore dollars. There were 197 gainers and 152 decliners.
Among the actives, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust shed 0.45 percent, while CapitaLand Investment spiked 0.78 percent, City Developments added 0.49 percent, Comfort DelGro retreated 1.37 percent, DBS Group eased 0.16 percent, Hongkong Land surged 5.08 percent, Keppel Corp was up 0.15 percent, Mapletree Commercial Trust advanced 0.56 percent, Mapletree Industrial Trust gathered 0.40 percent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation collected 0.34 percent, SATS sank 0.97 percent, SembCorp Industries slumped 0.36 percent, Singapore Exchange dipped 0.21 percent, Singapore Technologies Engineering lost 0.24 percent, SingTel fell 0.39 percent, Thai Beverage tumbled 1.44 percent, United Overseas Bank gained 0.07 percent, Wilmar International perked 0.24 percent, Yangzijiang Financial soared 0.97 percent and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, Mapletree Logistics Trust, Genting Singapore, Ascendas REIT and Venture Corporation were unchanged.
The lead from Wall Street is broadly negative as the major averages opened deep in the red on Friday and remained that way throughout the session.
The Dow tumbled 348.60 points or 1.05 percent to finish at 32,899.70, while the NASDAQ plunged 304.17 points or 2.47 percent to close at 12,012.73 and the S&P 500 sank 68.28 points or 1.63 percent to end at 4,108.54.
For the week, the Dow slid 0.9 percent, the NASDAQ lost 1 percent and the S&P fell 1.2 percent.
The weakness that emerged on Wall Street came as traders cashed in after a stronger than expected jobs report offset the faint hopes that the Federal Reserve might slow its planned pace of interest rate hikes.
In other economic news, the Institute for Supply Management said growth in U.S. service sector activity slowed slightly more than expected in May.
Crude oil prices climbed higher Friday on expectations of increased demand even as OPEC decided to increase output. Stronger than expected U.S. non-farm payroll employment in May also offered support. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for July ended higher by $2.00 or 1.7 percent at $118.87 a barrel.