The Business Times
business-time-50
BRUNCH
·
SUBSCRIBERS

Shouting, signalling, scrambling: Inside the heyday of Singapore’s trading pits

Amid a boisterous atmosphere, traders relied on a system of universally recognised gestures

Summarise
google-preferred-sourceAdd BT as a preferred source
Renald Yeo

Renald Yeo

Published Fri, Aug 8, 2025 · 02:00 PM
    • The locals – traders who used their own capital to buy and sell derivatives, often at high frequency – would respond with their best bids, yelling or flashing hand signals until a price was agreed.
    • The locals – traders who used their own capital to buy and sell derivatives, often at high frequency – would respond with their best bids, yelling or flashing hand signals until a price was agreed. PHOTO: BT FILE

    Singapore has certainly experienced a remarkable journey from third world to first over the last six decades.

    In this week’s Brunch, we look at some of the sectors that have undergone a significant transformation over the years. We place the spotlight on how the country went from a colonial rubber-trading outpost to one of the world’s most modern commodities powerhouses.

    We also take a trip down memory lane as we revisit the heyday of Singapore’s trading pits and the evolution to electronic trading.

    BrunchSGXIPOStock trading

    TRENDING NOW

    Longest-serving chief minister Taib Mahmud’s legacy looms large over Sarawak as a family feud over his estate threatens to expose skeleton’s in the eastern state’s political closet.

    On the board but frozen out: The Taib family feud tearing Sarawak construction giant apart

    Thailand’s target is to export seven million tonnes of rice globally in 2026, but the Middle East war has turned the world topsy-turvy with supply disruptions, high oil prices and economic uncertainty.

    Thai and Vietnamese farmers may stop planting rice because of the Iran war. Here’s why

    Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How said the government is working with partners who have access to Anthropic's Mythos to understand its capabilities.

    MAS convenes bank CEOs over AI cyberthreats; boards told to own risks, not leave to IT teams

    Electric vehicles and the changed dynamics of mainstream and luxury car segments mean Certificates of Entitlement should not be used to classify cars.

    Is it time to scrap COE categories for cars? 

    Latest T-bills Treasury Bills Results & Interest NewsLatest SSB Singapore Savings Bonds NewsLatest COE Certificate of Entitlement News
    Latest Johor-Singapore SEZ NewsLatest BTO Build To Order & Sales of Balance NewsLatest STI Straits Times Index NewsLatest SGX Dividends, Share Price NewsLatest Bonds Market NewsLatest Singapore Stocks To Buy NewsLatest Singapore Economy News
    View More