Small caps are the most active in Singapore trade, with low-priced plays in favor amid a general lack of newsflow to guide investors.

Broad market direction is generally up, with just under 2 gainers for every decliner.

FTSE ST Catalist Index +1.7%, FTSE ST Small Cap Index +0.4% vs STI +0.1% at 3,207.16. UOB KayHian says while STI’s technical picture is looking better, “we would like to see the index break above the resistance of 3218 before putting our chips on the table.”

Overall volume of 878.1 million shares is a tad above-average for a morning session in December, but the value is low at $826 million as lower liners are the most heavily traded. These include China Sky Chemical (E90.SG) +12.5% at $0.225, Bio-Treat (B22.SG) +11.1% at $0.05, Genting Hong Kong (S21.SG) +3.4% at US$0.455, GMG Global (5IM.SG) +4.8% at $0.325.