Investors shun risk as Christmas nears

'TIS the season for giving, yet investors aren't being too generous towards risky assets.

The benchmark Straits Times Index did rise slightly on weak volumes on Friday to finish off the week at 3,385.71 points, up 3.18 points or 0.09 per cent. But this recovery was after six consecutive days of falls from a year-to-date high of 3,468.77 points last Wednesday.

Companies on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) that have pursued debt-fuelled acquisitions were notably punished, perhaps on the back of worries over US Federal Reserve rate hikes in 2018.