Singapore, Feb 1, 2026, 14:47 SGT — The market has closed.
- DBS shares ended the day down 1% at S$59.20, following a wider drop across Singapore stocks.
- Attention turns to the bank’s fourth-quarter and full-year results, set for Feb 9.
- Investors are focused on clues around margins, fee income, and how capital is returned.
Shares of DBS Group Holdings Ltd ended Friday’s session down 0.99%, closing at S$59.20. The stock fluctuated between S$59.02 and S$59.65, with roughly 5.7 million shares changing hands. (Yahoo Finance)
The next crucial date for the stock is Feb. 9, when the lender will release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results. (DBS Bank)
Timing is crucial. With rates easing off their peaks, even slight shifts in funding costs can tilt a bank’s earnings. Traders are eager for updates on dividends, buybacks, and how profit growth holds up if lending spreads narrow.
Friday’s retreat wasn’t limited to DBS. The Straits Times Index slipped 0.5% to 4,905.13, dragged down by Wall Street’s fall. Big names like DBS, United Overseas Bank, and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp all closed in the red, The Straits Times reported. (The Straits Times)
Some analysts are spotting signs that margins might ease up as we head into reporting season, even if fee income remains shaky. Lim Rui Wen from DBS Group Research noted in a Jan. 29 report that the three-month Sora — Singapore’s key interest-rate benchmark — has slowed its sequential decline. Coupled with deposit repricing, this could signal a “turning point” for the net interest margin downtrend. She also pointed out an expected quarter-on-quarter dip in non-interest income, driven by typical seasonal softness in trading and wealth management fees. (The Edge Singapore)
DBS stands as Singapore’s largest lender, operating across consumer banking, wealth management, and institutional markets in Asia. Its profits hinge heavily on the pace at which loan yields adjust compared to deposit costs. (Reuters)
Investors usually focus on net interest margin — the difference between what a bank earns on loans and what it pays for funding — since even slight shifts can heavily affect profits. Credit costs and loan growth will also be key, particularly following a year marked by uneven performance in regional markets.
Still, risks linger. If benchmark rates drop quicker than banks adjust deposit rates, margins could shrink. A sluggish loan growth would weigh on fee income, and trading revenue, unpredictable as ever, might remain uneven.
As markets reopen, traders will probably watch global risk appetite and interest rate forecasts closely. Bank shares tend to track bond yields and the wider financial sector.
