Singapore, Jan 31, 2026, 14:51 SGT — Market closed
United Overseas Bank shares dropped 1%, or S$0.38, closing at S$38.27 on Friday. The decline followed a 0.5% dip in Singapore’s Straits Times Index after Wall Street fell overnight. Rival banks DBS and OCBC also slipped, with 3,014,800 UOB shares changing hands. (The Business Times)
The scene changed a day earlier when the Monetary Authority of Singapore held policy steady but raised its 2026 inflation outlook, flagging upside risks to both growth and inflation. Selena Ling described the update as “a tad more hawkish and less dovish.” Meanwhile, Chua Hak Bin at Maybank highlighted “simmering inflation pressures.” Unlike many central banks, MAS manages the Singapore dollar’s nominal effective exchange rate, or S$NEER, instead of a traditional policy rate—a framework that still influences funding costs and loan pricing. (Reuters)
The banking trio has been pushing the index up, with broker target prices climbing alongside. For UOB, the consensus target ticked up to S$37.26 from 16 analysts, despite the stock hitting a record high of S$39.50 late last week, The Business Times reported. (The Business Times)
Friday’s pullback was slight, yet it nudged the stock away from recent peaks and back into an area where profit-taking usually kicks in fast. The percentage shifts are minor. Still, they carry weight since the banks lead the market action.
Next month’s earnings will take center stage. Investors will zero in on net interest margin, or NIM—the gap between what banks earn on loans versus what they pay on deposits—as well as fee income, provisions, and any remarks about loan demand in Southeast Asia.
DBS Group Research analyst Rui Wen Lim cautioned that it might be too soon to say asset-quality concerns are behind us, following UOB’s unusually large provisions in the September quarter. He noted the NIM decline is close to a “turning point” and predicted UOB and OCBC would deliver quarter-on-quarter gains in December. However, he also warned that non-interest income could soften after a strong third quarter. (DBS Bank)
As the market remains closed over the weekend, Monday’s open will take its lead from offshore signals — U.S. stocks, bond yields, and the prevailing risk sentiment. Singapore bank shares usually offer a stable corner of Asia’s equities but often move together sharply when volatility spikes.
UOB didn’t offer much in terms of new company updates over the weekend. So, it’s mostly about positioning, interest rates, and the lead-up to earnings that are driving the action.
UOB is set to release its full-year 2025 results on Feb. 24, before the market opens, according to a Singapore Exchange notice. Investors will be watching closely for any updates on margins and credit costs, which could influence the stock’s direction through late February. (SGX Links)
