Singapore - Singapore stocks rose 4.99 per cent Monday as investors went bargain hunting, but analysts warned of continuing volatility ahead.

The Straits Times Index rose 89.55 points to 1,883.75.

Gainers outnumbered losers by 422 to 125, and volume was high with 1.64 billion shares traded.

The market is recovering from oversold positions, said Stephanie Wong, head of research at Kim Eng Securities Pte Ltd in Singapore.

Singapore - Singapore Exchange Ltd on Monday signed an agreement with the government of China's south-eastern coastal province of Fujian to promote the listing of Fujian companies on the Singapore market.

Twenty-one Fujian firms with a total market capitalization of 4.2 billion Singapore dollars (2.86 billion US dollars) are already listed on the Singapore Exchange.

Fujian's Development and Reform Commission Office agreed to provide guidance to companies that wish to list in Singapore and facilitate regulatory checks and approvals from Chinese authorities, the exchange said.

Singapore - Singaporeans have been told to welcome foreign workers and expatriates because the the labour they contribute is in the city-states's national interest, according to media news reports Monday.

Law Minister K Shanmugam on Sunday said that foreign workers play an important role in building housing, roads and infrastructure in Singapore.

Singapore - Singapore's service sector is less upbeat about business prospects for the second half of the fiscal year, according to a quarterly business expectation survey released Friday.

Fifteen per cent of the firms surveyed said they thought the business climate would improve from October to March while 30 per cent projected less favourable conditions, according to the survey conducted by the Department of Statistics.

The majority of the firms, 55 per cent, expected the business situation to remain unchanged.

The data, collected from September to mid-October, indicated a drop in positive expectations after 23 per cent surveyed about the same period a year ago felt positive.

Singapore- Shares prices were lifted almost 8 per cent at the Singapore Exchange Thursday, but analysts kept a cautious undertone.

The market rode on renewed confidence injected by the US Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates and work at a multi-billion dollar currency swap pact, which is to include Singapore.

The Straits Times Index (STI) began a climb back from the start of the opening bell at the exchange. It rose 130.71 points to close at 1801.91, up 7.82 per cent.

The Singapore bourse recorded a high level of activity with volume rising to 1,822.6 million shares. The day ended with 406 counters recording gains and 151 finishing with losses.

Singapore - The Singapore Tourism Board said Thursday that the number of tourists visiting the city-state has declined because of the global economic crisis and the downturn could continue into next year.

The current global economic climate has caused a general air of uncertainty, which has impacted consumer sentiment and lowered discretionary spending, the board said in a monthly report.