Singapore shares are slightly higher at 9:29 a.m. but buying conviction is low given a lack of leads.

The STI is +0.1% at 3,157.27 and is expected to stay below 3,200. “The overall directional bias is still uncertain,” says Phillip Securities analyst Phua Ming-Weii; “barring major catalytic events, the final two weeks of the year are traditionally quiet.”

Traders say renewed concerns over tensions in the Korean peninsula could also keep trading activity minimal; “there’s no news to play on other than that. Watch the Kospi,” says a trader with a local brokerage.

The Kospi is down 1.2%. The most active stocks in the market comprise a good mix of large and small caps, including Golden Agri-Resources (E5H.SG) off 1.3% at $0.76, China Animal Healthcare (EP4.SG) +1.3% at $0.40, HLN Technologies (5HH.SG) +4.1% at $0.385 and DBS (D05.SG) +0.3% at $14.44.