Five dramatic days of hair-raising - and harebrained - trading ended yesterday with the remarkable rally that rolled across the region from Mumbai to Sydney.

'My screens were showing solid gains. This is a really big hong bao for investors, after one of the bleakest weeks in years,' said local brokerage dealer Alan Tan.

The upswing that began on Thursday left many markets, including Singapore, in positive territory for the week - an outcome that would have appeared ludicrous on Monday and Tuesday.

Traders were in despair then - some were 'suicidal', according to one local dealer - with banks making margin calls.

This is when investors are forced to sell shares at any price to top up loan accounts.

That seemed an age away on Friday with traders in a giddy mood, talking about more upside to come and counting on the usual Chinese New Year rally.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times