The Singapore market pulled back today following Budget 2026 announcements, even as the government unveiled measures to boost existing equities, startups and new listings.

The Straits Times Index (STI) crossed the 5,000-point barrier before the statement was delivered yesterday, buoyed by a strong 43.5 per cent net profit increase for Singtel. 

The momentum did not hold, though. In the first hour of trading today, the STI fell 1.1 per cent back below the 5,000 mark to 4,963.68 points. 

In terms of counters to watch, we have iFast, after the digital bank and wealth management platform’s net profit rose 70.4 per cent to S$32.9 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025, up from S$19.3 million in the year-ago period. 

Elsewhere, from the potential winners and losers from Singapore’s Budget 2026, to how Anthropic raised US$30 billion in its latest funding round, more corporate and international headlines remained in focus. 

On Market View, Money Matters’ finance presenter Chua Tian Tian unpacked the developments with Benjamin Goh, Head of Research and Investor Education, SIAS.