Singapore, Feb 19, 2026, 19:01 SGT — The market closed earlier this day.
- OCBC gained, rising with Singapore’s other big banks as local stocks moved higher Thursday.
- OCBC flagged increasing appetite among retail investors for gold and silver products.
- Bank earnings take center stage next week, with OCBC set to report on Feb 25.
OCBC ended Thursday up 2.3% at S$21.59 on the Singapore exchange. DBS Group rose 1.3%. United Overseas Bank added 0.7%. The Straits Times Index gained 1.3%. “Economic data … is propelling animal spirits on Wall Street,” said Jose Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers, after U.S. tech stocks rallied overnight. (The Business Times)
Singapore banks are back in the spotlight after their rebound, as investors gear up for a busy round of earnings and outlook updates. OCBC’s results are next, and this time, it’s the commentary on dividends, credit trends, and any signals on shifting growth plans that will draw the real attention—not so much whatever happens to the share price on this day.
Rates remain the central issue here. Falling borrowing costs tend to squeeze a bank’s net interest margin—the difference between income from loans and the payouts on deposits—even if lending edges higher. That tension is showing up more sharply now in the action around bank shares.
OCBC rolled out a separate update Thursday, focusing on what retail investors are up to. The bank says precious metals have now edged out equities and unit trusts as the main “entry point” for new investors in 2025. Gold or silver pulled in roughly two-thirds of these first-timers, and OCBC saw its precious metals investor numbers climb 2.5 times year-on-year in 2025. “Allocations should stay measured,” said Tan Siew Lee, who leads group wealth management at OCBC. (The Business Times)
OCBC said in a post-market filing it used 2,609 treasury shares worth S$39,104.47 for staff share schemes. That leaves the bank with 10,636,918 treasury shares on its books, according to the notice. (ShareInvestor)
Feb. 25 is circled on calendars: OCBC is set to release its 2025 full-year figures ahead of the open, according to the bank’s own schedule. Dividends are likely to draw the most attention, though plenty of eyes will scan for clues on margins and costs too. (OCBC)
Peers are helping move things along. United Overseas Bank is set to release its full-year 2025 results before trading kicks off on Feb. 24, its SGX filing shows. That means back-to-back earnings from two heavyweight Singapore banks. (SGX Links)
But the picture could reverse fast. If global risk appetite fades, bond yields jump, or credit quality falls short, the sector could take a sharp hit—all that optimism is already baked in before results week.
