>> S'pore: Shares open lower:-

' Singapore share prices opened lower on Friday with the Straits Times Index down 3.49 points to 3,025.47.
' Volume was 56.1 million shares worth S$60.3 million.
' Losers outnumbered gainers 56 to 46.

>> SGX says no comment on reports of LSE merger:-

' The London Stock Exchange Group is reported to be in talks with the Singapore Exchange about a potential US$11 billion merger.
' The Daily Telegraph said the chief executive of LSE Group, Xavier Rolet, has held a series of informal talks with SGX chief executive Magnus Bocker about a potential merger.
' The structure of any potential merger is unclear but the paper speculated that SGX would take over its British rival because of its larger market capitalisation.

>> STI spurred by Wall Street rise:-

' THANKS to a surprise rise on Wall Street on Wednesday, STI yesterday gained 11.75 points to 3,028.96 while over in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng firmed 1.6%.
' Europe's mixed opening, however, capped the STI's rise.
' Turnover here was concentrated in low-priced issues and amounted to 1.7 billion units worth $1.4 billion excluding foreign currency issues.
' The broad market was relatively mixed, recording 198 rises versus 154 falls excluding warrants.