Singapore stocks gained on Wednesday, led by lenders such as OCBC Bank and DBS amidst positive Asian cues.
Southeast Asian stock markets were largely firm as investors took heart from the Dow scaling a record closing high and as oil prices spiked overnight.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan shrugged off early sluggishness and rose 0.2 percent.
The Straits Times Index rose 0.28 percent or 9 points to 3,343. It ended 0.45 percent lower on Tuesday, taking the year-to-date performance to about 16 percent.
Overseas-Chinese Banking Corp rose 0.8 percent while United Overseas Bank and DBS Group Holdings gained 1.4 percent each.
Mapletree Industrial Trust advanced 0.5 percent after it formed a joint venture with Mapletree Investments to buy a portfolio of 14 data centres located in the U.S. for US$750 million (about S$1 billion).
Shares in Keppel Telecommunications and Transportation rose 0.3 percent after its unit Keppel Logistics launched an integrated logistics brand called UrbanFox to tap the growing popularity of e-commerce.
But Frasers Centrepoint Trust dropped 1.3 percent despite posting a 5.5 percent in fourth-quarter distribution per unit, as higher rental income and improved occupancy at Northpoint City contributed to growth.
About 1.8 billion shares worth S$1.1 billion changed hands, with gainers outnumbering losers 245 to 175.
