Buying continues rise, selling stays low

BUYING picked up for the second straight week while selling among directors was low for the third straight week, based on filings on Singapore Exchange from May 26 to 30. Sixteen companies recorded 29 purchases worth $4.7 million versus four firms with nine disposals worth $1.5 million. The buy figures were up from the previous week's 14 companies, 27 purchases, and $3.1 million. Sales were not far off from the previous week's three firms, seven disposals and $1.8 million.

While buying by directors rose last week, buyback activity was flat with seven companies posting 25 repurchases worth $8.6 million. The number of firms was unchanged while the number of trades was sharply up from the previous week's 16 transactions. The value fell sharply from the previous week's turnover of $12.8 million.

There were several significant corporate shareholder trades last week with buybacks in Duty Free International and Ryobi Kiso Holdings. On the directors' front, there were rare buys in Falcon Energy, Junma Tyre and Advanced Holdings. Progen Holdings' managing director resumed buying after the stock rebounded by 10 per cent. On the selling side, there were rare insider sales in Swissco Holdings after the stock rebounded by 34 per cent.