Singapore shares advanced yesterday in a bargain-hunting session as investors dismissed rising infections in the region and a retreat on Wall Street. The Singapore Straits Times Index rose 2.04 per cent to 3,142.63. Across the broader market, gainers outnumbered losers 384 to 120 as 2.21 billion securities worth $1.63 billion changed hands. "Singapore's latest social restrictions to battle a new wave of Covid-19 infections is unlikely to derail growth, in our view. The gross domestic product contribution of the most affected domestic sectors is limited and these are better prepared to respond to lockdowns than a year ago," Maybank Kim Eng analysts noted in a report.