Singapore, Feb 19, 2026, 19:01 SGT — Market has shut its doors for the day.
- OCBC climbed along with Singapore’s other major banks, as local stocks advanced on Thursday.
- OCBC pointed to rising demand from retail investors for gold and silver products.
- Next week, attention shifts to bank earnings. OCBC is scheduled to release results on Feb 25.
OCBC shares finished Thursday’s session 2.3% higher at S$21.59 on the Singapore exchange. DBS Group advanced 1.3%, United Overseas Bank booked a 0.7% gain, and the Straits Times Index moved up 1.3%. “Economic data … is propelling animal spirits on Wall Street,” said Jose Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers, commenting after U.S. tech stocks rallied overnight. (The Business Times)
Singapore bank stocks stay in focus after the rebound, with a packed slate of results and guidance coming up. OCBC’s upcoming figures take center stage; what matters now is what they say about dividends, credit patterns, and possible tweaks to growth strategy—more so than any moves on the tape today.
Rates are stuck right at the heart of this. When borrowing costs drop, a bank’s net interest margin—the gap between what it collects from loans and what it shells out for deposits—can get pinched, regardless of whether lending ticks up. Lately, that push-and-pull has surfaced more clearly in the way bank shares have moved.
OCBC released a separate update Thursday, zeroing in on retail investment trends. Precious metals have edged past equities and unit trusts to become the top “entry point” for new investors in 2025, according to the bank. Gold or silver attracted about two-thirds of these first-time retail clients, and OCBC reported its precious metals investor base jumped 2.5 times year-on-year in 2025. “Allocations should stay measured,” said Tan Siew Lee, who heads group wealth management at OCBC. (The Business Times)
OCBC disclosed in a post-market filing that it tapped 2,609 treasury shares, valued at S$39,104.47, for staff share schemes. Following the move, the bank’s treasury stock dropped to 10,636,918, according to the notice. (ShareInvestor)
All eyes turn to Feb. 25: OCBC drops its full-year 2025 numbers before the bell, the bank’s investor calendar shows. Dividends will take the spotlight—investors will also be parsing any talk about margins and costs. (OCBC)
The setup’s getting nudged by peers, too. United Overseas Bank plans to drop its full-year 2025 results early on Feb. 24, ahead of the market open, according to an SGX filing. That lines up two major Singapore bank earnings one after another. (SGX Links)
Still, things could flip. Global risk appetite sours, bond yields spike, or credit quality disappoints—any of those could slam the sector quickly, given how much is already priced in ahead of results week.
