Daily Markets Briefing: STI down 0.79%

Don't expect some gains today.

The Straits Times Index (STI) ended 28.33 points or 0.79% lower to 3548.74, taking the year-to-date performance to +4.29%.

The top active stocks were DBS, which declined 0.72%, Singtel, which declined 1.11%, UOB, which declined 1.36%, CapitaLand, which gained 0.52% and Keppel Corp, with a 1.02% fall.

The FTSE ST Mid Cap Index declined 0.69%, whilst the FTSE ST Small Cap Index declined 0.45%.

OCBC Investment Research noted that US stocks sold off for a second straight session on Tuesday, with the Dow suffering its biggest one-day drop in eight months, as heavy losses in health-care and energy shares weighed on the main indexes.

Ten out of 11 S&P 500 industries finished lower, with Health Care, which fell 2.13%, and Energy, which declined 2.02%, leading the declines whilst Utilities, which rose 0.17%, bucked the trend.

"Continued weakness on Wall Street overnight could keep local sentiment cautious today," OCBC said.