Breather for market after five-day slide

SOME respite from Korean tensions and momentum from positive overnight markets in the United States helped the Singapore stock market to arrest a five-session decline on Tuesday.

The Straits Times Index (STI) climbed 0.52 per cent, or 16.8 points, to close at 3,263.79. Gainers outnumbered losers 253 to 165, or about three up for every two down.

The one caveat to the rally was that it came on thin volumes. Only about 1.9 billion shares changed hands, which was about four-fifths the daily average of 2.4 billion shares in the first seven months of the year. In terms of traded value, Tuesday's turnover was $948.5 million, which was 79 per cent of the January-to-July daily average of S$1.2 billion.