Singapore, Jan 5, 2026, 02:08 ET
- Digital Core REIT surged 11.8% after it signed a 10-year lease with an investment-grade global cloud provider.
- The Straits Times Index rose about 0.6% in afternoon trade, hovering near 4,686.
- Traders now watch Friday’s U.S. jobs report and Singapore’s late-January monetary policy statement for the next cue.
Digital Core REIT jumped 11.76% to $0.570, leading Singapore’s session after it disclosed a 10-year leasing deal for its Linton Hall facility in Virginia. The Straits Times Index (STI) climbed about 0.6% and pushed into record territory.
The moves matter early in the year because traders entered the first full week of January with risk appetite intact, even as headlines added a fresh dose of geopolitical noise. Asian equities rose broadly, and investors kept their focus on AI-linked spending and defensives.
A REIT, short for real estate investment trust, owns income-producing property and typically pays out most of its cash flow. Digital Core REIT said the new lease will lift portfolio occupancy from 81% to 98% once it starts and will raise annualised net property income by about US$13.3 million at its 90% share.
Among other large-cap gainers, ST Engineering rose 3.57% to $8.71, while developer City Developments climbed 2.74% to $8.24 and traded above the top of its recent three-month range—levels chart-watchers often treat as a momentum trigger. Keppel added 1.74% to $10.55.
The three local banks moved in step with the broader market. DBS gained 0.64% to $56.76, UOB rose 0.91% to $35.57 and OCBC added 0.71% to $19.99.
Investors typically treat February’s earnings season as the next major checkpoint for the sector, with attention on margins, loan growth and credit costs. DBS has scheduled its fourth-quarter results for Feb. 9.
Singapore Exchange shares rose 0.82% to $17.19 after SGX rebranded its equities business as “SGX Stock Exchange” and flagged a pickup in listings momentum following its market review work. Sginvestors
Macro cross-currents stayed in the background. “In North Asia, the focus remains firmly on the structural tailwind from rising AI investment,” said David Chao, Asia-Pacific global market strategist at Invesco in Singapore. Reuters
On the chart, the STI’s trading band tightened near the highs; it traded up to roughly 4,686 intraday, and technicians often mark 4,700 as the next round-number test.
Risks sit on both sides of the tape. A sharper turn in the Venezuela story could jolt oil and hit rate-sensitive and travel-linked names, while a surprise in U.S. data could reprice global rate expectations and spill into Asian financials and REITs.
The next clear catalyst lands Friday, when the U.S. releases December nonfarm payrolls at 08:30 ET.
