Daily Markets Briefing: STI up 0.15%

Investors are urged to take caution today.

The Straits Times Index (STI) ended 5.09 points or 0.15% higher to 3465.54, taking the year-to-date performance to +20.30%.

The top active stocks were DBS, which gained 0.48%, UOB, which gained 0.30%, Singtel, which gained 0.53%, OCBC Bank, which gained 0.08% and Keppel Corp, with a 2.38% advance.

The FTSE ST Mid Cap Index gained 0.38%, whilst the FTSE ST Small Cap Index rose 0.63%.

According to OCBC Investment Research, the S&P 500 and the Dow closed at records for the fourth session in a row Tuesday as the Federal Reserve kicks off its two-day meeting, but the Nasdaq bucked the trend to head south.

Seven out of 11 S&P 500 industries finished higher. The best performers were Telecommunication Services, which rose 2.80%, and Financials, which rose 1.02%, whilst worst performers were Utilities, which fell 1.75%, and Energy, which fell 0.32%.

"Today’s tone is likely to be cautious as investors await clues on policy decisions from the central bank in Europe and America," OCBC said.