STI rebound fades as N Korea concerns return

THE Straits Times Index on Tuesday first rebounded strongly in tandem with an overnight rise on Wall Street but eventually drifted to a net loss of 0.76 of a point at 3,137.54 as geopolitical concerns, particularly surrounding North Korea, took grip. The Dow futures reversed a morning gain to trade in the red in the afternoon, and Europe opened weaker across the board.

Turnover was moderate at 2.6 billion units worth S$1.05 billion, and the advance-decline score excluding warrants was 224-262.

The average value per unit traded was S$0.40 and 15 of the top 20 actives were priced below S$0.20. Among these were AddValue and Chasen, which had weakened on Monday but managed to close Tuesday slightly firmer.