FTSE STI closed 3,216.50, down 9.75 points or -0.30% with a total volume of 5.13b and a total value of S$1.74b. Total number of advance vs decline was 200 vs 243. Of the 30 component index stocks, 11 closed positive, 1 unchanged and 18 closed negative. The top 5 gainer component stocks were :-
1. Jardine C&C +0.210
2. SGX +0.130
3. HKLand US$ +0.110
4. SIA Engg +0.050
5. SembCorp +0.050
The top 5 loser component stocks were :-
1. JMH 400US$ -1.290
2. UOB -0.150
3. DBS -0.130
4. JSH 500US$ -0.100
5. Capitaland -0.050
US markets closed positive with at least 0.5% gain due to positive China export data. Asian bourses were mainly negative for the day with mix of news. Nikkei +1.40%, SSE -1.78% and HSI -0.39%. STI fell 0.30% with heavy volume and moderate value. Only 11 of the 30 index stocks managed to register positive closing.
Japan new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled 10.3 trillion Yen fiscal stimulus which led to Nikkei surged 1.40% but China December CPI came in at +2.5% higher than previous month but still below the forecast of 4%. The concern of rising inflation in China overshadowed the good news from Japan and together with profit taking led most Asian bourses to close in the red.
STI activities apart from the micro-penny plays contributing to heavy volume, most of the blue chips and stronger fundamental stocks were in positioning for corporate earning starting next Monday.
