KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 (Bernama) -- Bursa Malaysia closed lower on Friday amid mixed regional market performance as investors turned cautious over a possible rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) and upcoming US economic data that may influence the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) interest rate decision next week. At 5 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) pared most earlier losses to settle 4.55 points easier, or 0.28 per cent, to 1,616.52 from Thursday’s close of 1,621.07. The benchmark index, which opened 0.37 of-a-point lower at 1,620.70, moved between 1,609.67 and 1,621.25 throughout the day. The broader market was negative, with decliners outpacing advancers 604 to 439. A total of 550 counters were unchanged, 1,151 untraded, and 18 suspended. Turnover declined to 3.17 billion units worth RM2.24 billion from 4.48 billion units worth RM2.75 billion yesterday. Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd vice-presiden...
Key Takeaways
S$1.65B in buybacks executed YTD through Sep 11, up ~80% from 2024.
STI banks (UOB, DBS, OCBC) account for S$1.28B, or ~77% of total buybacks.
Volatility in April drove S$425M in repurchases.
New buybacks from AEM, Kingsmen Creatives, Jason Marine mark return after years.
SINGAPORE, Sept 17 (SGX) — Share buybacks by Singapore-listed firms surged in 2025, with 76 primary-listed companies repurchasing S$1.65 billion worth of shares on the open market as of September 11. The figure represents a sharp rise from S$916 million in the same period last year, underscoring heightened capital management activity amid market volatility.
Banks Lead the Charge
The surge was largely driven by Singapore’s three largest banks:
UOB (U11): S$561M @ S$35.39 avg price
DBS (D05): S$371M @ S$42.77 avg price
OCBC (O39): S$349M @ S$16.67 avg price
Together, they accounted for S$1.28B in buybacks, nearly triple their 2024 total of S$494M.
Broader Market Activity
Outside the STI banks, notable buybacks included:
Keppel (BN4): S$71M
Sembcorp (U96): S$59M
ST Engineering (S63): S$44M
Olam (VC2): S$21M
Raffles Medical (BSL): S$12M
The April market selloff alone triggered S$425M in buybacks, making it the most active month of the year.
First Buybacks in Years
Some smaller firms reactivated buyback programs after long pauses:
AEM Holdings (AWX): first since Mar 2023
Kingsmen Creatives (5MZ): first since Apr 2016
Jason Marine Group (5PF): first since May 2015
These companies cited buybacks as tools for capital efficiency, shareholder returns, and employee incentive support.
Strategic Capital Management
According to ACRA, share repurchases help companies boost EPS and ROE, signal undervaluation, and optimize capital structure. Secondary-listed firms also joined in, with Hongkong Land repurchasing US$176M of shares under its US$200M program.
Outlook
The acceleration in buybacks highlights how Singapore corporates — especially banks — are leaning on repurchases to deploy excess capital and reassure investors amid global macro uncertainty. With buyback mandates spanning across fiscal years, activity is expected to stay robust into Q4.
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