RALLIES FAIL TO SPUR SET

       Last week the SET50 Index went up 7.86 points or 1.70 per cent to 470.69 while the SET50 Index Futures, with S50U09 having the nearest maturity expiring at the end of September, rose 7 points or 1.53 per cent to 463.9.
       The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged throughout the week. Higher new home sales and the renomination of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke boosted investor confidence.
       Other major stock markets also rallied, thanks to the rising oil price and higher confidence in the US economic turnaround.
       The SET Index, however, moved narrowly as investors preferred staying on the sidelines despite the solid economic indicators announced by the Fiscal Policy Office and the rise in the petrol price.
       Average daily futures trading volume was 5,558 contracts, lower than the previous week's 8,918. Openinterest contracts as of last Thursday numbered 42,886, up 988 from the previous week.
       The total weekly futures volume was 44,592 contracts worth Bt19.81 billion. Of these, 35,892 were for SET 50 Index Futures, 2,648 were singlestock futures, 3,967 were gold futures and 2,085 were SET50 Index options.