Good morning moomooers! Here are things you need to know about today's Singapore:

• Singapore shares opened higher on Tuesday; STI up 0.2%

• Ascott Residence Trust to buy three Japan rental housing assets for 6.78b yen

• SingPost group CEO Paul Coutts resigns 'to pursue other opportunities'

• Stocks to watch: SingPost, Lendlease Global Reit, Ascott Residence Trust, Dutech, SGX

-Moomoo News SG

Market Trend

Singapore shares opened higher on Tuesday, even as US markets were closed for a holiday. $FTSE Singapore Straits Time Index(.STI.SG)$ gained 0.2 per cent or 7.42 points to 3,171.70 as at 9.01am.

Gainers outnumbered losers 84 to 38, with 36.7 million securities worth S$26.3 million changing hands.

Breaking News

Ascott Residence Trust to buy three Japan rental housing assets for 6.78b yen

$Ascott Trust(HMN.SG)$ will acquire three rental housing properties in Japan for 6.78 billion yen (S$85.2 million), it said on Tuesday.

The properties - City Court Kita 1 jo, Big Palace Minami 5 jo and Alpha Square Kita 15 jo - have a total of 411 units and are located in central Sapporo.

Their average Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) yield is about 4 per cent, the stapled hospitality group added.

The acquisitions will be funded by debt and part of the net proceeds from recent property sales including Somerset Xu Hui Shanghai, and are expected to complete by the end of June.

SingPost group CEO Paul Coutts resigns 'to pursue other opportunities'

$SingPost(S08.SG)$ group chief executive officer (CEO) Paul Coutts has resigned after four years at the helm to "pursue other opportunities", announced the company in a late-night filing with the exchange on Monday.

While his resignation as a director took place with immediate effect from Monday, Mr Coutts, 64, will remain as group CEO until Aug 31, 2021 or earlier to support a handover.

Stocks to watch

$SingPost(S08.SG)$: Its director and group chief executive officer (CEO) Paul Coutts has resigned after four years at the helm to "pursue other opportunities", Singapore Post (SingPost) announced in a late-night filing to the exchange on Monday. While his resignation as a director took place with immediate effect, Mr Coutts will support a handover as group CEO until Aug 31, 2021, or earlier. The group said its board is considering both internal and external candidates to replace Mr Coutts and "lead SingPost in its next phase of growth". SingPost shares closed Monday up 0.5 Singapore cent or 0.7 per cent at 72.5 cents, before the announcement was made.

$Lendlease Reit(JYEU.SG)$: Anthony Peter Lombardo has stepped down as chairman of Lendlease Global Commercial Reit's (Lendlease Global Reit) manager to serve as Lendlease group chief executive officer and managing director, effective today. In a filing on Tuesday morning, the Reit manager announced that Mr Lombardo will be replaced with immediate effect by Ng Hsueh Ling, who has been Singapore managing director and Asia chief investment officer at Lendlease since August 2017. Units of the Reit closed half a Singapore cent or 0.7 per cent lower at 76 cents on Monday.

$Ascott Trust(HMN.SG)$: The stapled hospitality group will acquire three freehold properties in Sapporo for a total of 6.78 billion yen (S$85.2 million) to expand its Japanese rental housing portfolio, its managers said on Tuesday. Their acquisition will be funded by debt and part of the net proceeds from recent divestments, including that of Somerset Xu Hui Shanghai for 1.05 billion yuan (S$216.6 million). Stapled securities of Ascott Residence Trust closed flat at 99.5 Singapore cents on Monday.

$Dutech(CZ4.SG)$: The chief executive officer of mainboard-listed Dutech Holdings, through investment holding company TSI Metals HK Limited, has proposed to acquire all 356.54 million issued and paid-up ordinary shares of Dutech for 40 Singapore cents per share in cash, with a view to delisting the firm from the Singapore Exchange (SGX). TSI Metals has an issued share capital of HK$50,000 (S$8,516) solely held by Dutech's CEO, executive chairman and director Johnny Liu. Dutech shares last traded at S$0.25 on May 28. TSI Metals' offer price of S$0.40 per share represents a 60 per cent premium.

$SGX(S68.SG)$: The exchange has hired a new head of global sales and origination to succeed Chew Sutat, who will retire to devote more time to "social sector pursuits" after more than two years in the role and after 14 years with the company. Former Goldman Sachs banker Pol de Win will take over as senior managing director and head of global sales and origination from July 1, said SGX in a statement on Monday. SGX shares closed S$0.06 or 0.6 per cent lower at S$10.33 on Monday.