Singapore, Jan 27, 2026, 15:17 SGT — Regular session
Shares of Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited climbed 2.5% to $76.64 Tuesday afternoon in Singapore, hitting a 52-week peak amid increased action in the U.S. dollar counter. The stock gained $1.83 from Monday’s close of $74.81. 1
The move comes a day after the group announced another share repurchase, where it buys back its own stock and cancels the shares, cutting the total share count. A Singapore Exchange filing revealed Jardine Matheson repurchased 50,000 ordinary shares on Monday at $74.7185 each, costing about $3.7 million. 2
Singapore stocks showed strength, with the Straits Times Index climbing past 4,900 to reach a new peak of 4,912.46 in early trading, The Business Times reports. Investors are gearing up for a heavy week on the central-bank front, ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Jan. 27-28 meeting and the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s policy update slated for Jan. 29. 3
In Singapore, the MAS review carries weight similar to the Fed’s moves. Out of 16 analysts surveyed by Reuters, 15 predict MAS will hold policy steady on Thursday. Edward Lee, chief economist at Standard Chartered, noted there’s “no urgency to act” right now. 4
The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at 3.50%-3.75% when its meeting wraps up on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, described the near-term outlook as “benign” in a note Reuters cited. 5
Unlike many central banks, Singapore’s MAS doesn’t set domestic interest rates directly. Instead, it guides policy by adjusting the exchange-rate band of the Singapore dollar — the S$NEER, a trade-weighted currency index — allowing the currency to fluctuate within a secret range and intervening only when it drifts beyond that. 6
Jardine Matheson serves as the listed holding company for the Jardines group, managing a diverse portfolio that includes Indonesia’s Astra, retailer DFI, property landlord Hongkong Land, and hotel operator Mandarin Oriental. This variety makes the stock vulnerable to changes in consumer demand, property market trends, and fluctuations in Asian currencies. 7
Incorporated in Bermuda, the company’s main listing is in London, while it also holds secondary listings in Bermuda and Singapore, its investor relations page shows. 8
The buyback news by itself might not be enough to lift the stock if investors grow cautious. A hawkish Fed move or any change in MAS’s policy that rattles currency and interest rate forecasts could dampen appetite for cyclicals and conglomerates, even as share repurchases continue.
Investors now turn to Wednesday’s Fed decision, with MAS’s monetary policy statement due Thursday. Both events could shake up Singapore equities and influence the next move in Jardine Matheson shares.
