Yahoo Finance 
Year in Review 2023: Top 10 most searched stocks on Yahoo in Singapore
Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the most searched stock and the list also includes Singapore banks OCBC, UOB and DBS.
SINGAPORE – It has been yet another unpredictable year for investors, prompting them to keep a close eye on the stock market's movers and shakers. Yahoo Singapore's Top 10 Most Searched Stocks list shows a good mix of aviation, finance, e-commerce, and technology businesses. Users also searched close to home, with seven out of the 10 companies on the list being Singapore companies.
Here are the top 10 companies that investors kept tabs on in 2023:
10. Nio Inc. (NIO)
Nio Inc., a multinational automobile and technology company, is the second most searched EV company in the list. Just recently, a report said the company may have to make more job cuts to its workforce – on top of the 10 per cent it previously announced in November, placing total dismissals at 20 to 30 per cent.
The company's stock price has been struggling since early 2023 amid an EV price war started by Tesla.
In the company's third quarter results ending 30 September, Nio Inc reported a net loss of US$624.6 million, a 10.8 per cent year-on-year increase but a 24.8 per cent dip against the second quarter of 2023.
The company, headquartered in Shanghai, experienced a 52-week low at US$7.00 per share and a 52-week high of US$16.18 per share.
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9. United Overseas Bank (U11.SI)
United Overseas Bank, or UOB, is the third largest bank in Singapore. The bank reported a core net profit of S$1.48 billion for the third quarter ending 30 September, excluding one-off expenses for integrating its Citigroup acquisition. The figure is a 5 per cent year-on-year increase. In the same third quarter report, the bank's fee income powered by loan-related and credit card fees almost hit an all-time high.
In the past year, the bank's stock prices saw its 52-week low at S$26.82 per share and a 52-week high at S$31.40 per share.
8. SATS LTD. (S58.SI)
SATS is a leading Singapore airport service company offering food solutions and gateway services It manages 80 per cent of Changi Airport's catering and ground handling.
The blue-chip company reported S$2.5 billion in revenue in its first half of the year report ending 30 September. The figure is three times that of last year's S$804.5 million.
SATS' 52-week low was at S$2.37 per share while its 52-week high was at S$3.18 per share.
7. Wilmar International Limited (F34.SI)
Another Singapore company made this year's list of most searched is Wilmar International, one of Asia's leading agribusiness group. Interests were piqued when they company's co-founder dropped S$3.7 million to buy stock at an average price of S$3.57.
For the third quarter ending 30 September, the company reported a drop in net profit, falling 59 per cent year-on-year from US$766.2 million to US$313.9 million.
While Wilmar hit a 52-week high of S$4.29 per share, stock prices have been on the decline in the last 12 months, hitting a 52-week low of S$3.39 per share.
6. Keppel Corporation Ltd (BN4.SI)
Keppel is a local conglomerate that specialises in three segments—infrastructure, real estate, and connectivity. The group recently made waves after announcing that it will acquire 50 per cent stake in European real estate manager Aermont Capital for up to S$517 million. This is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024.
In its latest update, the powerhouse reported strong performance for the first nine months of 2023 – the company's revenue from continuing operations was S$5,274 million for the first nine months of 2023, up 5 per cent from S$5,016 million in the same period in 2022.
In the past year, Keppel stock prices hit a 52-week low of S$4.57 per share and a 52-week high of S$7.65 per share.
5. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA)
Alibaba is one of the world's largest e-commerce and tech companies, operating Taobao and Tmall, among others. It popularised the Singles' Day or 11.11 shopping festival which paved the way for other double digit shopping events.
The e-commerce giant reported a net profit of US$3,659 million for the quarter ending 30 September, a remarkable comeback from the net loss of US$3,157 million in the same quarter last year. Alibaba's 52-week low was at US$70.08 per share and its 52-week high was US$121.30 in the last 12 months.
4. Tesla Inc (TSLA)
Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company. The group experienced poor share prices in 2022 but recovered well in 2023, with share prices increasing 143 per cent in 2023 year-to-date.
Despite market recovery, the company's reported US$1.853 billion net income is a 43.7 per cent decline year-on-year.
In the past year, Tesla shares closed lowest at US$101.81 per share and highest at US$299.29 per share.
Earnings per share dropped to US$0.61 in the third quarter of 2023, 32.97% down from the previous quarter’s US$0.91.
More recently, the company made headlines for its much-scrutinised Cybertruck launch which saw Tesla stocks drop more than two per cent after the event.
3. DBS Group Holdings (D05.SI)
DBS Group Holdings Ltd is currently the largest Southeast Asian bank by assets. The Singapore company showed consistent growth throughout the year despite services outages and being financially exposed to about S$100 million in the recent money laundering scandal in Singapore.
DBS reported a record high S$5.2 billion income in the third quarter of 2023, a 16 per cent year-on-year jump from last year's figures.
The bank also declared an interim dividend of S$0.48 for Q3 2023, 33.3 per cent higher than the S$0.36 paid out last year.
In the past 12 months, the bank's 52-week low was at S$30.30 per share and 52-week high was S$36.40 per share.
2. OCBC Bank (O39.SI)
Investors were also looking at Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC), the second largest bank in Southeast Asia by total assets.
In July 2023, the group announced that it will invest more than S$50 million over the next three years to beef up its capabilities in greater China.
The group hit a record net profit of S$5.40 billion for the first nine months of 2023, experiencing a 32 per cent year-on-year increase. The growth was driven by a 13 per cent rise in total income.
OCBC's 52-week low was at S$11.93 per share while its 52-week high soared to S$13.39 per share.
1. Singapore Airlines (C6L.SI)
Singapore Airlines, along with its subsidiaries, offers comprehensive passenger and cargo air transportation services. In June this year, its full-service carrier brand Singapore Airlines received its fifth World's Best Airline title in the 2023 Skytrax World Airline Awards, while its low-cost counterpart Scoot brought home Best Long Haul Low-Cost Airline and placed second in the World's Best Low-Cost Airlines category.
Strong demand over the summer peak season drove record results for the first half of its fiscal year ending 30 September 2023, with a reported net profit of S$1,441 million, S$514 million more than the previous year (a 55.4 per cent year-on-year increase).
In the past year, the group's 52-week low was at S$5.46 per share and its 52-week high was S$8.05 per share.
For H1 FY2024, SIA's net profit surged by 55.4 per cent year-on-year to a record half-year high of S$1.4 billion. The national carrier also declared an interim dividend of S$0.10 per share.
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