Tread carefully and trade with caution

Under new rules which came into effect on March 3 in the island country, listed firms are required to inform the bourse if their board is aware of discussions of a potential proposal or is in talks on an agreement which may lead to a takeover of the

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Stories about the intolerance of the Singapore administration towards spitting and chewing gum were not new. But nothing prepared one for four-column news stories to go with psycho-analytic articles on an incident of spitting. Not to mention blown-up visuals of the accused and his victims. The guy eventually got a five-week sentence after expressing regret over the incident, bringing an end to the 360-degree media coverage.

Singaporeans across the board laugh it off at first. But, when prodded, they say it is the reality that is allowed to be presented. Some even compare it with The Truman Show, the Jim Carrey movie where the reality is managed. An image of crime being so low that spitting takes centre stage is conveyed. Though the city-state generally comes across as a whole lot safer than Delhi and much less crowded than Mumbai, it is always good to tread carefully. A friend points out that a Singapore police warning says, "Low crime doesn't mean no crime."

In the less salivating news on the business pages, an open offer by Temasek to buy out shares it does not already own in Olam Holdings has hogged the limelight. In the weeks ahead of Temasek's announcement, Olam's counter had run up about 35 per cent. Business papers have quoted market watchers asking if some smart people had got wind of the deal. Others have found fault with the company and the regulatory authorities.

Under new rules which came into effect on March 3 in the island country, listed companies are required to inform the bourse if their board is aware of discussions of a potential proposal or is in talks on an agreement which may lead to a takeover of the company. While it is not clear if Olam had informed SGX in advance, the exchange has already put out statements saying it will investigate possible transgressions.

Another new practice that has created a lot of discussion is the SGX 'trade with caution' notices. In the past week alone, the bourse has questioned seven companies and has issued notices on six. The exchange issues these notices when companies do not give satisfactory responses to its queries on a spike in trading volumes, prices, etc.

The move has created a lot of heartburn among shareholders who believe the 'trade with caution notice' brings down the share prices even though the company might have given a valid reason for the spike such as a new project or a big order being finalised.

Dennis Distant, a stock activist, writing in the letters to the editor column of Straits Times, said, "SGX should not be too quick on the draw in issuing the 'trade with caution' alerts or risk the SGX trading board becoming a minefield."

SGX has also faced criticism on why such a notice was not issued when Olam was going up ahead of the Temasek offer. The bourse takes several parameters into account before slapping these warnings like analyst reports and other publicly available information. But, it seems to be in the process of striking a balance.

These two tools of enhanced disclosure and scrip-specific warnings could be considered by Indian exchanges too as the market begins to mount new highs every week, warming up the deal counters. For very soon, those juicy rumours will be heard on the Street.