Prices drift lower in thin trading

ONE way of gauging the interest in local stocks is by the number of queries levelled by the Singapore Exchange (SGX) to companies when their shares exhibit unusual activity. Over the past fortnight, such queries have been relatively frequent, averaging at least one to two per day.

On Tuesday - one of the quietest sessions this year when the Straits Times Index (STI) drifted to a 2.63-point loss to 2,854.05 - there were no queries. Turnover was a weak 1.5 billion units worth S$765.40 million; excluding warrants, there were 171 rises versus 230 falls.

Brokers offered a familiar list of concerns keeping investors away from stocks - the upcoming US presidential elections, China's slowdown and the likelihood of a US interest rate hike in December.