Market starts week on weak note

by CONRAD TAN (25 Nov)

UOB and DBS are main drags on STI; gains by heavyweights SingTel and KepCorp help limit index's losses

STOCKS here started the week on a sour note yesterday as two of the world's biggest banks scrambled to raise capital, adding to fears that the unfolding economic crisis worldwide is taking its toll on even the biggest names.

The Straits Times Index (STI) finished 41.81 points or 2.5 per cent lower at 1,620.29, after slumping 2.6 per cent earlier in the day. United Overseas Bank (UOB) and DBS Group were the main drags on the index.

Around the region, bank stocks suffered after Standard Chartered Bank said it would raise £1.8 billion (S$4.1 billion) through a rights issue to boost its capital base and the US government agreed to bail out Citigroup by injecting US$20 billion into it and insuring up to US$306 billion of its troubled assets.

Here, UOB finished 3.8 per cent lower at $11.26, DBS fell 3.4 per cent to $9.27 and OCBC Bank ended 1.1 per cent down at $4.55.

In a report yesterday, DBS analysts said they remain 'cautious' on the local banking sector, despite the boost from the government's initiative announced last week to support lending to small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).

'We believe this move by the government will ease credit worries, alleviate default risk of SMEs and restore confidence in the availability of credit to SMEs,' they said. Still, 'the key concerns ahead would be the extent of asset quality weakness the banks might face'.

Olam International, a supplier of agricultural commodities worldwide, led yesterday's blue-chip declines in percentage terms. It fell 7 per cent to 93 cents, revisiting last Wednesday's low. The stock has slumped 66.9 per cent this year amid a broader slide in commodity-related stocks, as the world's biggest economies tip into recession, hurting demand for a range of commodities.

But Hong Kong-based Noble Group, which manages global supply chains in food, energy and metals, defied the broader market yesterday, rising 0.7 per cent to 74.5 cents after slumping badly last week. For the year, the stock is still down 63.2 per cent.

Chinese shipyard operator Cosco Corp was the second-biggest loser in percentage terms among STI members, falling 6.8 per cent to 68 cents.

Of the STI's 30 component stocks, 25 fell, four rose and one finished unchanged. Index heavyweights SingTel and Keppel Corp were among the gainers, which helped limit the STI's losses. SingTel rose 1.2 per cent to $2.48 and KepCorp finished 0.2 per cent higher at $4.61.

Outside the STI, the broader market was also weak. Losing counters outnumbered gainers 284-108 overall, with 930 counters unchanged, excluding warrants and bonds. Trading volume was abysmally low.

Just 790.4 million units worth $650.3 million changed hands, compared with Friday's volume of 1.17 billion units worth $971.6 million. That includes warrants and bonds but excludes shares traded in foreign currencies.

CapitaCommercial Trust fell 8.2 per cent to 73 cents after the property trust said on Friday it was pursuing its refinancing needs with several financial institutions. A Reuters report that day suggested the trust had asked four banks to arrange $580 million in refinancing.

The FTSE ST All-Share index, which tracks 268 of the most liquid stocks listed here, fell 2.5 per cent yesterday, while the UOB Catalist index of stocks on the second board dipped 1.5 per cent.

Elsewhere in the region, most stock indices also ended lower, except in Japan where markets were closed for a public holiday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slid 1.6 per cent.

-Research Report by CONRAD TAN (25 Nov)