Poor volume, but STI gains ground

IF year-ending window-dressing of the Straits Times Index (STI) is to feature in 2015, then it makes sense to position oneself appropriately just before the year ends. This sort of positional, advance buying might have played a part in the index's 12.9-point rise to 2,888.22 on Tuesday, which came with poor volume of 724 million units worth S$481.5 million done.

Alternatively, the slight push could have been in anticipation of a rebound on Wall Street.

Whatever the case, index stocks contributed S$288.4 million, down sharply from the more usual average of about S$700 million over the past three months, a sure sign that many big players have closed their books and gone on holiday.