Shares end higher - but on low volume

A MODEST rise in the Dow futures and a firm session in Shanghai on Thursday helped put 12.41 points on the Straits Times Index at 3,038.11. Turnover however, was a poor 1.2 billion units worth S$680.7 million of which 175.4 million worth S$412.6 million was done in the 30 StraitsTimes Index components, which meant that the remaining 700+ stocks contributed only S$268 million or 39 per cent of total volume.

Excluding trading in STI members, the average value per unit done was S$0.26, firmly in penny stock territory. Of the 20 most active stocks, 17 were priced below S$0.20. Stratech Group, which headed the actives …