Market Update: Singapore shares start 2021 in the green at 2,858

The first day of 2021 trading ended in a win for Singapore's main index.

The Straits Times Index closed in positive territory at the start of 2021 trading, ending at 2,858.90, up by 15.09 points or 0.53%

The uptick followed the release of macro data that showed a slower than expected economic contraction in the last quarter of 2020.

Stock gainers outnumbered losers, 260 to 190, with about 1.7 billion securities worth S$992.78 million changing hands.

Among the top performers were CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust with a 1.39% or S$0.03 gain, SGX itself with a 4.53% or S$0.42 increase, and DBS which grew by S$0.03 or 1.20%.

On Wall Street, US stocks started the year with a bloodbath; the Dow Jones down by 382.59 points or 1.25% to 30,223.89.

The S&P 500 also dropped by 1.48% or 55.42 points to 3,700.65 level, while the NASDAQ Composite plunged to 12,698.45, down by 189.83 points or 1.47%.

Meanwhile, London's blue-chip FTSE 100 index also closed in the green, up by 1.72% or 111.36 points to 6,571.88. FTSE 250 also ended higher by 0.24% or 49.59 points at 20,537.89.