Singapore shares closed 0.18 percent lower on Wednesday with investor appetite crimped ahead of the release of US retail sales data for July, dealers said. The Straits Times Index lost 0.18 percent or 5.03 points to 2,811.79. Volume traded totalled 1.05 billion shares worth 1.22 billion Singapore dollars (890 million US).
There were 204 rising issues and 319 losers, while 862 stocks were flat. Singapore Telecommunica-tions was among the losers after reporting a drop in first quarter profit, closing four cents off at 3.48. Singapore Airlines surrendered 12 cents to 15.30.
Among banks, DBS lost eight cents to 18.50, United Overseas Bank was steady at 19.94 and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp gained five cents to 8.21. In the property sector, Keppel Land dropped 10 cents to 4.26, CapitaLand was up 10 cents at 5.06 and City Developments advanced 18 cents to 10.60.