STI up as regional stocks buoyed by positive US retail sales data

• Gainers outnumber losers 362 to 174 in broader market • Seatrium top gainer on STI, rising 2.8 per cent to $2.18 • US central bank expected to keep interest rates unchanged

- Ranamita Chakraborty

Shares on the Singapore bourse rose on March 18 amid gains in regional indexes, buoyed by better-than-expected US retail sales data, as markets awaited a US Federal Reserve decision later this week.

US retail sales for February rose 0.2 per cent, marking an improvement from January's 1.2 per cent decline.

While the Fed is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged, the focus will be on chairman Jerome Powell's comments about the impact of tariff uncertainty on the US economy.

This positive sentiment was mirrored in Asian markets.