STI edges up in ho-hum session

AN agonisingly boring session on Tuesday finished with the Straits Times Index (STI) just about managing to stay in the black - up 3.13 points at 3,413.26 amid tepid volume of one billion units worth S$1 billion and with the market as a whole recording 239 rises versus 173 falls.

Brokers said an uncertain Wall Street probably contributed to the ho-hum session, as did an indifferent Hong Kong. In Monday's session in the US, the major indices traded higher throughout the session but ended weaker on the day - exactly the same pattern exhibited by Hong Kong on Tuesday. Still, the STI's net positive close suggested a firm session for Wall Street on Tuesday.

"Tradeable newsflows have been thin," remarked a dealer. "For now, nothing much is happening to get people excited or even scared."