The daily average value of securities traded on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) last month was $1.7 billion - up 22 per cent from the same period a year earlier and the highest since May 2013.

The SGX put the perkier activity down to "new money flows into the Singapore equities market from both the institutional and retail segments, fuelled by investor interest in an improving market and into recent IPOs (initial public offerings)".

Stock trading accounts for most of the traded value on the SGX, while structured warrants and Daily Leverage Certificates (DLCs) make up a smaller portion.

The SGX yesterday also noted "good underlying volumes across financial derivatives complex during a traditionally low activity Chinese New Year month". Last month's daily average value of securities was up 29 per cent over January.

Total securities market turnover stood at $32.8 billion last month, up 16 per cent from a year ago and 12 per cent higher than in January. The market turnover value of exchange-traded funds was $344 million last month, up 44 per cent from last year and up 36 per cent against January.

Market turnover value of structured warrants and DLCs was $2.1 billion, up 78 per cent from February last year and up 45 per cent against January. DLCs were launched in July last year.

The total market capitalisation value of the 746 companies listed on the SGX stood at $1.1 trillion at the end of last month. There were no IPOs last month. There were two Catalist listings in January - Myanmar-based tourism firm Memories Group and Malaysian wooden-furniture maker LY Corp. They raised a combined $32.2 million.

There were 93 new bond listings last month, raising $40.2 billion. Total derivatives volume was 18.1 million, up 45 per cent from February last year and unchanged from January. SGX commodities derivatives volume was 1.1 million, down 27 per cent from February last year and down 19 per cent from January.