His buying accounted for 39 per cent of the overall buying tally of $2.3 million, which compared with about $670,000 for directors doing a bit of selling.

Takeover action accounted for a few transactions with interests associated with Xianfeng Lu continuing to mop up shares in blinds maker Kresta Holdings, a long-term heartbreaker for small-cap investors.

He joined the Kresta board early last year, has had a good look at the company, which has about $100 million of sales a year, and has now launched a $35 million takeover.

Many a party has taken a look at Kresta over the years, including, if memory serves correctly, Alfred Zion many moons ago.

Xianfeng Lu's interests produce sun-shading fabrics in China so maybe Kresta has finally found the ideal owner.

Elsewhere, various members of the board of Bullabulling Gold - which is on the receiving end of a takeover from the Chinese-backed Norton Gold Fields - sold their scrip at 8¢ - double what the shares were fetching earlier this year.

Also in the increasing-share-price-department has been Red Hill Iron.

Interests associated with Neil Tomkinson and Joshua Pitt were again back in the market, this time paying $1.80, compared with $1.40 earlier this year and 80¢ a year ago.

Two directors of accounting software concern Xero bought shares following a slight return to earth by the high-flying group.

The shares ran from $4.48 to $42.96 over the 16 months to March; Bill Veghte and Chris Liddell recently paid $22.28 a share.

Xero is valued by the market at $2.9 billion, compared with receipts from customers for the June quarter of $21.5 million.