Settrade.com: leading financial website and investment tools for Thai investors
Internet users have increased rapidly in the last few years. Broadband Internet is now available in major cities. According to Google Thailand's figures for last year, 8.6 million people use the Internet every day, and more than 25 per cent of the popula
Investors have changed their trading behaviour from traditional trading via marketing agents to trading by themselves via the online trading platform. In the first quarter of this year, 54,453 online trading accounts were opened. Online trading accounts have grown so far this year by 12 per cent to about 500,000 accounts. Recently, online trading accounted for 53.25 per cent of total turnover. Retail investors remain the key market for online trading.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) has realised the importance of the online channel for retail investors. In 2002, the SET launched the Settrade.com website to provide market data on the SET, MAI, TFEX, bond and AFET markets, up-to-date business and financial news, and research.
Settrade.com also gives the investor a range of tools like virtual portfolios, SMS alerts and a step-by-step guide for new investors. Underlining its role as a financial and investment information website, Settrade.com has won the most-visited site in the banking-finance category, as ranked by Truehits.net, for nine years in a row since 2003. Due to the SET’s commitment to continue developing the content and features of the website, more than 100,000 users access settrade.com every day and the number of unique visitors per month has increased 18 per cent from last year.
To expand the retail investor base and offer more comprehensive information to current investors, the latest version of the website was launched on April 29. The new features include “Your Quotes”, “SAA Consensus”,” Most Popular News” and “ Video Centre” sections.
“Your Quotes” saves a list of three stocks chosen recently by users and displays them on every page. This feature helps settrade.com users see the prices of those stocks on every page on the website.
The “SAA Consensus” section shows the updated target prices and buy/sell recommendations from the Securities Analysts Association on the first page.
“Most Popular News” section displays the top-three viewed news.
The improved “Video Centre” includes more content such as a list of workshops for new investors, activities and seminars at the SET, including Opportunity Day, when listed companies present their quarterly results.
Because social media like Facebook and Twitter are very popular among Internet users, the new version of the website also integrates community networks. Users can share the news from the website on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. The SET also coordinates with brokerages, asset management companies, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other investment websites to provide useful investment information including news via the Facebook page of settrade.com, www.facebook.com/settradeclub, which boasts more than 114,000 members.
The SET is constantly improving its websites and other online channels to attract more investors. For more information, please visit www.settrade.com or contact the SET Call Centre at 0-2229-2222 or send an email to [email protected]
Kesara Manchusree is the chief marketing officer of the SET
