ST Index tests 3,500, Venture is added; acquisition to disposal ratio starts year at 5-to-1

ENHANCED by the Singapore dollar appreciation, the Straits Times Index (STI) led the region for the first three sessions of 2018. The STI gained 2.9 per cent, compared to an average gain of 1.3 per cent for the benchmarks of Japan, Hong Kong and Australia, and a 0.8 per cent gain for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The Jan 4 session saw Global Logistic Property (GLP) bow out of the STI and the SGX Mainboard. While GLP was one of the five strongest STI stocks in 2017, with a 53.2 per cent price gain, its replacement in the STI, Venture Corporation generated a price gain of 107.2 per cent, double the return of GLP.

2017 total buyback value: S$425m

Between Dec 29, 2017 and Jan 4, 2018 there were a dozen stocks that bought back their shares, with a total consideration of S$8.8 million. OCBC again led the buyback tally in consideration value, followed by P…