Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) shares fell more than 1% on Thursday in early trade after reports it was in advanced negotiations to sell a significant stake in Australian telco Optus to Canada's Brookfield Asset Management. Those reports came after Singtel had dismissed an article in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) on Wednesday saying it would sell the entirety of Australia's second-largest telecommunications group for as much as A$18 billion ($11.93 billion). Shares of Singtel were last down 0.8%, after sliding as much as 1.6% earlier in the session.