Few reasons to hold back STI from powering on

IT may be too early to trot out the stock market cliche "as goes January, so goes the year". But there is no mistaking investor exuberance.

The market has started the year with a bang and while there are two weeks still left to go before February, one would be hard pressed to find reasons to deflate the air of optimism among investors.

The prospect of rosy global economic growth has fuelled a rally in the world's financial markets and it is no different at home.