Singapore shares opened lower on Friday, tracking broader losses across Asian markets following a mixed overnight session on Wall Street and renewed expectations of a US Federal Reserve rate hike later this year.
The Straits Times Index (STI), a key benchmark for the Singapore Exchange, fell 0.2%, or 11.35 points, to open at 5,207.610.
US markets ended mixed on Thursday as investors weighed the profitability of large-scale AI investments against stronger-than-expected inflation data. The S&P 500 slipped 0.01% and the Nasdaq declined 0.46%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.14%.
While the US Federal Open Market Committee held interest rates steady in the 3.50%-3.75% range at its June meeting, CME FedWatch futures data indicates an 80% market probability of a benchmark rate hike at the Fed's Sept. 15-16 meeting, according to Reuters.