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SGX logo. Reuters

Singapore equities edged higher on Monday, starting the new month on a positive note, with shares in Asia mixed after stellar in the first half of this year.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index was little changed after the gauge finished the second quarter with a gain of 5.2 percent.

Trading across Asia was muted at the start of the holiday shortened week in the U.S.

The dollar index, which compares the greenback against a basket of major currencies, rose from a nine-month low on Monday.

At 05:56 GMT, the Straits Times Index rose 0.14 percent or 4.6 points to 3,231. It ended 1 percent lower on Friday, taking the year-to-date gains to 12 percent.

Shares of Disa, a maker of foundry machinery and filters, jumped 8 percent while advisory services provider British & Malayan Trustees gained 6.5 percent.

Great Eastern Shipping Company shares rose 2.7 percent.

Among the laggards, warehouse operator Global Logistic declined 0.7 percent while transport company ComfortDelGro was down 0.4 percent.

About 745 million shares worth S$435 million changed hands, with gainers outnumbering losers 190 to 162.