Economic recovery sends SET on upward trend
Last quarter, the Stock Exchange of Thailand produced an average dividend yield of 3.63 per cent, the second-best in the region after Taiwan, while the SET Index hit its highest in 16 years to close at 1,196.77, up 16.72 per cent from the end of last year
The SET’s market capitalisation also set an all-time high of Bt9.86 trillion, up 17.20 per cent from the end of last year.
The Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) saw its market capitalisation leap 20.38 per cent |to Bt93.07 billion over the same |period.
Despite reporting slight trading growth, the SET said yesterday that its operating results achieved the target and it will further launch products and services.
The SET’s trading year on year reached Bt1.88 trillion during the first quarter of this year. In the same period, the MAI also reported that |its total trading value was Bt49.09 billion.
Average trading on both the SET and MAI grew 0.09 per cent Bt31.25 billion, while the derivatives market achieved Bt35.10 billion.
Combined assets according to the market value of new listed companies reached Bt22.76 billion.
The SET also plans to launch |currency futures this quarter.
The Thai bourse’s performance in the first quarter of this year was better than the fourth quarter of last year, reflecting the country’s economic recovery after the flood crisis in 2011.
SET president Charumporn Chotikasatien said its operation has stepped forward as planned. New products and an efficient system will be developed to facilitate the new trading system among securities companies, which will be introduced in August.
Foreign investors were still big players with net buys of Bt83.13 billion and shared 23.53 per cent of the market’s total trading. However, individual and institutional investors were net sellers of Bt52.90 billion and Bt34.46 billion respectively.
The long-term development of the bourse is still focused on encouraging listed companies to undertake more environmental, social and governance initiatives in bid to strengthen sustainable development as well as to increase the number of good-governance companies.
