Singapore stocks advance; Realty firm Rowsley soars 99%

In Asia, investor sentiment has also been supported by a raft of upbeat economic news out of China.

singapore trader
A small British flag flies over unmanned telephones and terminals at Baring Securities' desks. Reuters

Singapore equities rose on Wednesday, led by gains in realty firm Rowsley on plans to expand into healthcare business while gains in other Asian markets also lifted mood.

In Asia, investor sentiment has also been supported by a raft of upbeat economic news out of China. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.4 percent at its highest since April 2015.

The Straits Times Index gained 0.57 percent or 19 points to 3,325. It ended 0.24 percent higher on Tuesday, taking the year-to-date gains to 15 percent.

Shares of Singapore-listed Rowsley jumped as much as 99 percent after the realty firm said it planned to buy healthcare assets valued at S$1.9 billion from its controlling shareholder, billionaire Peter Lim.

CapitaLand Commercial Trust rose 1 percent after reporting a 3.2 percent rise in estimated distribution per unit.

Shares of Singapore Telecommunication's broadband unit NetLink Trust were little changed upon listing on Wednesday.

Among the losers, telecom firm M1's shares fell as much as 8.3 percent after its majority shareholders decided not to proceed further with the strategic review.

About 3.6 billion shares worth S$1.6 billion changed hands, with gainers outnumbering losers 311 to 170.

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