AFTER having fallen 41 points in the previous three sessions, the Straits Times Index (STI) on Wednesday bounced 26.16 points up to 3,122.77 thanks to big gains in the Jardine stable and Keppel Corp.

Volume, which had spiked up on Tuesday to S$2.7 billion because of month-ending portfolio rebalancing, on Wednesday fell back to 2.3 billion units worth S$1.5 billion - still decent when compared to last year's S$1 billion average.

Excluding warrants there were 236 rises versus 225 falls in the entire market, which suggested trading was much more mixed than the index might indicate.

Traders said that most market players preferred to wait for Wall Street's reaction to US President Donald Trump's address to Congress which was broadcast at 10am local time.

The initial reaction was lukewarm as Mr Trump did not offer any details on his economic or trade policies.