Retail investors net buy $638m as most-bought stocks decline 8.9%

Net buying was focused on financial services, REITs, and consumer cyclicals.

Retail investors net bought $638m of Singapore stocks over the first 17 trading sessions of March, according to the SGX Group.

Cumulative retail net buying for the first quarter of 2026 reached $675m as of 24 March, following net retail purchases of $2.6b recorded for the full year in 2025.

Net buying was concentrated in the financial services, real estate investment trust (REIT), and consumer cyclicals sectors.

Amongst the most actively accumulated counters were DBS Group, Genting Singapore, and CapitaLand Ascendas REIT.

Over the same period, institutional investors were net sellers of $46m, with market makers and active traders accounting for the difference between retail inflows and institutional outflows.

In March, the 30 most net-bought stocks amongst the 150 most-traded counters posted an average total return of negative 8.9% versus positive 4.7% for the 30 most retail-net sold.

Meanwhile, the 15 stocks averaged a 7.9% decline in total return for the month.

This contrasts with a 3.2% average gain for the 15 stocks with the highest net retail selling.

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