SG Morning Highlights: Stocks open higher on Friday; STI up 0.5%

$FTSE Singapore Straits Time Index (.STI.SG)$ gained 0.5 per cent or 15.28 points to 3,139.47 as at 9.01am.

$Oxley (5UX.SG)$ : The property developer has priced S$70 million of 6.9 per cent notes due 2024, issued under its US$1 billion guaranteed euro medium-term note programme. In its announcement on Friday, Oxley said net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, as well as working capital and capital expenditure requirements of the group. Shares of Oxley closed 0.5 Singapore cent or 2.1 per cent higher at 24 cents on Thursday.

$UOB (U11.SG)$ : The bank announced on Thursday that it has received approval from bondholders to convert the interest rate benchmark for its £350 million (S$650.7 million) floating-rate covered bonds due 2023 from sterling London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) to the compounded daily Sterling Overnight Interest Rate Average (Sonia). Shares of UOB closed at S$25.76 on Thursday, down S$0.06 or 0.2 per cent, after the announcement.

$Shinvest (BJW.SG)$ : The precision manufacturer on Thursday said it has further disposed of 245,491 shares in China-based fabless semiconductor firm Espressif Systems, and it will likely record a gain before tax of S$2.8 million from the disposal, based on its financial statements for the financial year ended Aug 31, 2020. Shares of Shinvest closed at S$3.15 on Thursday, down S$0.05 or 1.6 per cent, after the announcement.

$SGX (S68.SG)$ : The bourse operator on Thursday said it has and independent director to its board, effective Thursday. It also announced that board members Kwa Chong Seng and Kevin Kwok will both be considered non-independent from Sept 20 this year, on the account of each of them having completed nine consecutive years of service on the bourse's board. Shares of SGX closed S$0.09 or 0.8 per cent lower at S$11.09 on Thursday, after the announcement.

$ESR-LOGOS REIT (J91U.SG)$ : The manager of the real estate investment trust (Reit) on Thursday announced that it was , Stefanie Yuen Thio, to independent chairperson with effect from July 1. Ms Thio succeeds Ooi Eng Peng, who will be redesignated as non-executive director after close to nine years of service to assume the new role of the Reit manager's deputy chairman. Units of ESR-Reit ended Thursday S$0.02 or 4.9 per cent higher at S$0.43, after the announcement.