Singapore shares open lower on Friday

$FTSE Singapore Straits Time Index (.STI.SG)$ fell 3.93 points or 0.1 per cent to 3,283.82. Across the broader market, losers outnumbered gainers 62 to 45 after 32.7 million securities worth S$46 million changed hands.

$Seatrium (S51.SG)$ was the most heavily traded counter by volume. The counter was down 2.3 per cent or S$0.002 at S$0.086, after 6.9 million securities were transacted.

Other counters that were briskly exchanged included $YZJ Shipbldg SGD (BS6.SG)$ which dipped 1.7 per cent or S$0.03 to S$1.72, after 3.4 million shares changed hands, and $Southern Arch (A33.SG)$ which remained unchanged at S$0.002, after 2.1 million securities were traded.

Over on Wall Street, stocks slumped on Thursday, following weaker-than-expected US economic data which reflected a slowdown in consumer spending and exports. The tech-rich $Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC.US)$ shed 0.6 per cent to 15,611.76, and the broad-based $S&P 500 Index (.SPX.US)$ dipped 0.5 per cent to 5,048.42. $Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI.US)$ ended 1 per cent lower at 38,085.80.