Buying and selling both slide, buyback activity remains high

THE buying fell for the first time in the past five weeks with 17 companies recording 51 purchases worth S$3.4 million, based on filings on the Singapore Exchange in the second week of December. This was down from the previous week's 20 companies and S$11.3 million. The number of purchases, however, was consistent with the previous week's 52 acquisitions.

Meanwhile, the selling plunged with only one firm that recorded one disposal worth a paltry S$0.004 million. The figures were sharply down from the previous week's already low four companies, six disposals and S$0.71 million.

Buyback activity, however, remained high with 21 firms posting 79 repurchases worth S$19.53 million. The number of companies and trades were not far off from the previous week's 23 firms and 84 transactions. The value, on the other hand, was sharply up from the previous week's turnover of S$8.38 million.