Singapore stocks trended mostly lower, with 2 decliners for every gainer, as retreat in most other Asian bourses keeps buyers at bay, says Dow Jones.

Most FTSE ST sub-indexes down, although blue chips manage to pare morning losses, with STI flat at 2,966.67 midday (off 0.03%) vs low of 2,951.13 (down 0.6%). Immediate support for STI at this week’s low of 2,943, while any rebound expected to meet resistance at 3,000.

“Optimism about Singapore’s stunning first-quarter GDP advance estimates has cooled down as the STI retreated below the 3,000 level this week,” says DBS Vickers, “the STI has limited upside above 3,000.”

Key blue-chip decliners include Sembcorp Marine (S51.SG), off 1.8% at $4.27, CapitaLand (C31.SG), off 1.0% at $3.91, SIA Engineering (S59.SG), off 1.1% at $3.61. Overall volume light at 885.8 million shares.