Singapore stock market may open lower march 1 2012 Stock Market Today Shares, gold , mortgage rates

Singapore stock market may open lower march 1 2012 : Singapore shares may open lower on Thursday, tracking a fall in U.S. stocks after comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke disappointed investors hoping for a strong signal on more stimulus.

Singapore-listed Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings Ltd may be in focus after announcing its fourth-quarter net profit rose 24 percent from a year earlier to 1.04 billion yuan ($165.3 million), helped by higher vessel deliveries and increased gross profit margin.

Stocks and factors to watch:

-- INDOFOOD AGRI RESOURCES LTD
- Singapore-listed palm oil firm Indofood Agri Resources will set aside $200 million to buy palm oil, rubber and sugar assets outside Indonesia, where it currently has a big presence, as it looks to diversify future profits, a top official said.

-- RAFFLES EDUCATION CORP LTD
- Singapore's Raffles Education said on Thursday it had agreed to sell the land use rights related to four land parcels and some properties in China's Langfang Development Zone to Langfang Fenghe International Golf Club Co., Ltd for 1 billion yuan ($159 million).

-- UNITED OVERSEAS BANK LTD
- Singapore's United Overseas Bank said on Thursday it plans to issue 2.25 percent fixed rate senior notes with a size of $500 million due 2017.

UOB, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Credit Suisse (Singapore) Ltd and Nomura Singapore Ltd have been appointed as joint lead managers and joint bookrunners, while CIMB Bank (L) Ltd has been appointed as co-manager, for the
Notes.

-- LANKOM ELECTRONICS LTD
- Singapore's LANKom Electronics said on Thursday it will acquire Sinocom Pharmaceutical Inc, a pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor in China, for around S$298.4 million ($239.3 million).

- Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index rose 0.82 percent on Wednesday to 2,994.06 points.

- The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.41 percent to 12,952.07. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index retreated 0.47 percent to 1,365.68. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.67 percent to 2,966.89.

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