• In 2021, Singapore’s 150 most traded stocks contributed the lion’s share of the day-to-day turnover of the stock market, which included 18 stocks that saw a 10-fold+ increase in daily turnover from 2020, and another 15 stocks that saw a 5-fold+ increase in daily turnover.
   
• The 18 stocks with the 10-fold+ increase averaged 166% price gains (138% median) over the year, while averaging 102% price volatility. Of the 18 stocks, OIO saw the highest increase in turnover, RH Petrogas saw the highest return, and Del Monte Pacific currently maintains the highest market cap. 
   
• The 18 stocks included Grand Venture which completed its transfer from Catalist to the Mainboard on 30 Nov. On 5 Jan, the company announced its third facility acquisition in Malaysia (in the space of two years), as it gears up to meet the anticipated growth in demand for its services from the semiconductor industry.
   
• The next 15 stocks with the 5-fold+ increase in daily turnover averaged 47% price gains (48% median) in 2021, while averaging 56% price volatility. Of the 15 stocks, Leader Env saw the highest increase in turnover, The Hour Glass saw the highest return, and Thomson Medical currently maintains the highest market cap. 

More than 90% of the day-to-day trading turnover of Singapore-listed stocks in 2021 was generated by the most traded 150 stocks. With both macroeconomic and microeconomic factors at play, as many as 18 (12%) of these 150 stocks saw their trading turnover in 2021 grow more than 10-fold from 2020 levels. Another 15 (10%) of the 150 stocks saw their trading turnover in 2021 grow more than 5-fold.

Many of the key macroeconomic drivers of 2021, including resilient investment, new global trade records, higher commodity prices and semiconductor demand impacted the participation in these stocks last year.

On the microeconomic front, strategic efforts to restructure or pivot to new businesses for the sake of increasing shareholder value was also a key theme for the year. This was a relevant theme for OIO Holdings, which maintained the highest turnover growth of the 150 most traded stocks in 2021. During the year, the group, which had previously focused its core business on the provision of mechanical and electrical services and solutions, announced its intentions to expand into blockchain agency and related businesses. The company on 31 Mar acquired Moonstake for S$7.1 million (click here for more). The founder of Moonstake, Mitsuru Tezuka, is a Japanese national who has years of experience in the blockchain industry mainly in Singapore and Japan. KGI Securities noted back in December (click here & here for more reports) that OIO Holdings was a relevant play to the decentralisation of the metaverse, along with another Catalist-listed company Vividthree Holdings.

The 18 of the 150 stocks that saw their trading turnover in 2021 grow more than 10-fold from 2020 levels are tabled below. The 18 stocks included Grand Venture Technology which completed its transfer from Catalist to the Mainboard on 30 Nov, and on 5 Jan, the company announced its third facility acquisition in Malaysia (in the space of two years), as it gears up to meet the anticipated growth in demand for its services from the semiconductor industry.

Source: SGX, Refinitiv, Bloomberg (Data as of 31 December 2021), Note Mkt Cap as of 10 Jan 2022

As detailed in the table above, the price gains of the 18 stocks varied from a 31% price decline for Hatten Land, to a 552% price gain for RH Petrogas. Traditionally a leading property developer in Malaysia specialising in integrated residential, hotel and commercial developments, Hatten Land has been progressively scaling up Crypto Mining activities, and has entered into two agreements to install and operate around 3,000 Crypto Mining rigs at malls owned or managed by Hatten Land, of which the Group expects to install and operate over 2,500 Crypto Mining rigs in 2022 (click here for more). As highlighted last week, RH Petrogas was also the strongest performer of the 100 most traded Singapore stocks in 2021, while posting a turnaround net profit of US$13.8 million in its 9MFY21 (ended 30 Sep), on the back of Brent Crude Oil futures rallying (from US$48.50/bbl to US$78.50/bbl on 30 Sep, to US$75.20/bbl by the end of 2021).

Of the 18 stocks tabled above, Del Monte Pacific currently maintains the highest market capitalisation at S$758.1 million. After reporting net profit soared to US$63.3 million in FY21 (ended 30 April), reversing the US$81.4 million loss in FY20, Del Monte Pacific reported 1HFY22 (ended 31 Oct) net profit tripled YoY to US$54.1 million, supported by higher US and international market sales including the S&W business in Asia.

In addition to the 18 stocks that saw the highest increase in daily turnover in 2021 among the 150 most traded stocks, another 15 stocks saw 5-fold+ increases in daily turnover over the year. Of the 15 stocks, Leader Environmental Technologies saw the highest increase in turnover, The Hour Glass saw the highest return, and of the 15, Thomson Medical Group currently maintains the highest market capitalisation.

Source: SGX, Refinitiv, Bloomberg (Data as of 31 December 2021), Note Mkt Cap as of 10 Jan 2022.

While the stocks tabled above, averaged higher returns than the STI they also saw comparatively higher volatility over the year. The 15 stocks with the 5-fold+ increase in daily turnover averaged 47% price gains (48% median) over the year, while averaging 56% volatility. The 18 stocks with the 10-fold+ increase averaged 166% price gains (138% median) over the year, on average volatility of 102%. By comparison, DBS Group Holdings, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation and United Overseas Bank which averaged 21% price gains in 2021 saw 16% volatility.