Singapore’s Straits Times Index advanced 1.2% to 3,062.23 as of 12:30 p.m. trading break. Twenty-eight stocks in the benchmark index of 30 companies rose.

 

Shares on the measure trade at an average 14.1 times estimated earnings, compared with about 15.6 times at the end of 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The following shares were among the most active in the market.

 

Palm-oil producers: Crude palm-oil futures for May delivery gained as much as 1.6 in Kuala Lumpur today, extending its advance to a third day.

 

Golden Agri-Resources (GGR SP), the world’s second- biggest palm-oil producer, climbed 3.7% to 71 cents. Indofood Agri Resources   (IFAR SP), the palm-oil unit of Indonesia’s biggest noodle maker, gained 2.1% to $2.40. Wilmar International (WIL SP), the world’s largest palm-oil trader, advanced 3.6% to $5.25.

 

Hi-P International (HIP SP), the electronics manufacturing services provider whose clients include Apple Inc. and BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion, climbed 1.7% to $1.22. Apple’s introduction of a new version of the iPad should benefit Hi-P because it’s been supplying a “mechanical component” for the tablet computer, Tan Ai Teng, an analyst at DBS Group Holdings, wrote in a note to clients today.

 

Hyflux (HYF SP), the Singapore company that has desalination projects in Algeria and Libya, gained 1.7% to $1.84. The company said it will increase focus on Asia as its projects in Libya face delays amid mounting political unrest in the North African nation. Separately, the company said it is exploring the possibility of issuing preference shares to help fund investments in Asia.

 

Keppel Corp. (KEP SP), the world’s biggest builder of oil rigs, gained 2.3% to $11.76. The company said a unit bought a 27.8% stake in Dyna-Mac Holdings (DMHL SP), a provider of engineering services to the oil and gas industry, for $87.5 million. Dyna-Mac surged 12% to 42 cents.

 

Singapore Exchange (SGX SP), operator of the city’s securities and derivatives exchange, gained 0.8% to $7.91. The company said securities turnover increased 32% in February to $31.5 billion from a year earlier, while trading of exchange traded funds tripled to $628 million. Derivatives volume jumped 39% in the same period, it said.