STI expected to stabilise this week

THE wild swings in local shares that spiced up the early part of last week are looking less likely to show up again this week, which could see the benchmark Straits Times Index beginning to consolidate.

That said, the squall may not have completely passed. A slew of vital economic data from the world's two biggest economies is scheduled to be released over the next few days. On the bright side, that could bring more clarity. However, another negative print expected from China could again darken sentiment worldwide.

Wall Street finished flat on Friday in a non-committal end to what had been a white-knuckle ride. The Dow was down 0.1 per cent for the day while the S&P 500 inched up 0.1 per cent. Both indices still finished higher for the week - the Dow climbed 1.1 per cent and the S&P advanced 0.9 per cent.