Singapore stocks fall on Thursday, tracking regional decline; STI down 0.4%

The Singapore stock market closed lower on Thursday (Apr 9), with the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) dipping 0.4 per cent to 4,977.08 as cautious sentiment prevailed despite a temporary Middle East ceasefire. The decline was primarily weighed down by the local banking trio—DBS, OCBC, and UOB—all of which finished in negative territory, tracking a broader retreat across regional peers like the Hang Seng and Nikkei 225. While DFI Retail Group managed a 3 per cent gain to lead the blue chips, the overall market remained defensive, with investors skeptical that the diplomatic pause has truly extinguished underlying geopolitical risks or resolved fundamental supply chain tensions.