A SLIGHT weakness in the Dow futures made for a cautious start to the week for the local stock market, as the Straits Times Index (STI) drifted to a 1.23-point loss at 3,329.52. Volume at 2.8 billion units worth S$1.4 billion was average by recent standards and, excluding warrants, there were 226 rises versus 210 falls.

Brokers said the market was now in "wait-and-see" mode, following a recent US interest-rate hike, North Korea missile test and political upheaval in Washington involving the Trump administration.

As a result, second-liners provided the main play, though even here the pickings were slim. Rowsley, which is set to benefit from a large injection of healthcare assets, stood out when it topped the actives list with a S$0.009 rise to S$0.119 on volume of 371 million, while there was also interest in Disa and LionGold Corp.