Singapore equities ended slightly lower on Wednesday, tracking lackluster Asian shares following a global selloff in technology stocks. Tech rout weighed on the MSCI Asia Pacific Index after a new cyberattack affected more than 200,000 companies globally.
The Straits Times Index fell 0.14 percent or 4.5 points to 3,215. It ended 0.31 percent higher on Tuesday, taking the year-to-date gains to 12 percent.
The losers included TalkMed Group, which plunged 13.4 percent after the healthcare services provider said its chief executive officer had been given an eight-month suspension by the Singapore Medical Council.
Other laggards included Golden Agri-Resources and Jardine Cycle & Carriage, which fell 2.6 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively. About 2 billion shares worth S$1.1 billion changed hands, with losers outnumbering gainers 288 to 142.
Among the gainers, Croesus Retail Trust jumped 12 percent after U.S. private equity firm Blackstone agreed to buy the real estate firm for about S$900 million.
Asian shares were mostly down following a weak handover from Wall Street after the U.S. Senate's move to delay voting on a healthcare reform bill rekindled worries on the timeline for President Donald Trump's pro-growth policies.
The dollar held on to losses after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signaled the U.S. economy can withstand higher interest rates.
