Singapore share prices closed 0.09 percent lower on Monday as the market consolidated after hitting five-and-a-half-year highs last week, dealers said. The Straits Times Index fell 2.15 points to 2,248.14 on volume of 720.173 million shares valued at 759.87 million Singapore dollars (446 million US), down from 979 million shares worth 887 million dollars on Friday.
Losers led gainers, 229 to 196, with 812 stocks unchanged.
"There were no fresh leads. The market is just consolidating," a dealer from a foreign stock brokerage firm said.
Among technology stocks, digital entertainment products manufacturer Creative Technologies fell 50 cents to 12.60 after recording strong gains last week.
STX Pan Ocean, the shipping arm of South Korean conglomerate STX Corp, extended gains following last week's trading debut. It added one cent to 99 cents on top volume of 56.27 million shares.
Biosensors extended gains, with the stock briefly touching a new 52-week high of 98.5 cents, after its Netherlands-based subsidiary, Occam International BV, received regulatory approval to sell in Europe its first drug-eluting stent (DES), Axxion, dealers said.
The stock closed up 1.59 percent or 1.5 cents at 96 cents.
IPC Corp added 4.5 cents to 22.5 cents after Indonesian businessman Oei Hong Leong raised his stake in the company.
Informatics, on the other hand, fell a cent 10 cents after Oei sold his entire 13.71 percent stake in the company.
Interest in blue chips was lacklustre, with Singapore Telecommunications closing a cent lower to 2.69, Singapore Airlines flat at 11.80, ST Engineering down one cent to 2.48, and Singapore Press Holdings down two cents to 4.48.
United Overseas Bank slipped 10 cents to 14.40 after buying an additional 30 percent stake in PT Bank Buana Indonesia for a premium. DBS Bank was flat at 14.70, while Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp was unchanged at 11.90. Among property stocks, Keppel Land was up six cents to 2.82, while City Developments was down five cents to 8.10.
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