THE total securities market turnover value on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) climbed 5 per cent on the year to S$20 billion in December, the bourse operator’s monthly market statistics report released on Thursday (Jan 9) showed.
This comes despite December’s total market volume falling 15 per cent to 19.4 billion shares, from 22.7 billion shares clocked for the corresponding month in the prior year.
SGX said that the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) recorded a 17-year peak in December, and rose 1.3 per cent to 3,787.6. It closed the year up 16.9 per cent as Asean’s top performer.
The bourse regulator said that the STI posted its best performance in more than a decade, with total returns of 23.5 per cent for the year.
December’s securities daily average value stood flat year on year (yoy) at S$954 million, although the securities daily average volume was down by 19 per cent at 922 million shares.
The total trading volume of derivatives for December rose 10 per cent on the year to 23.2 million contracts; for the year, trading volume advanced 18 per cent to an all-time high of 298.4 million contracts.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
SGX said: “As the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates and China’s policymakers introduced new stimulus measures, more global investors accessed opportunities across equities, foreign exchange and commodities on SGX Group, driving record volume for key derivative contracts.”
Total equities index futures traded volume, including contracts covering key markets such as India, Japan and Singapore, advanced 4 per cent yoy in December to 13 million contracts. For 2024, it grew 8 per cent to 167.8 million contracts.
Notably, the FTSE China A50 Index Futures’ trade volume climbed 14 per cent yoy to 8.5 million contracts in December, translating to a 17 per cent increase to 103.2 million contracts for 2024 – the highest since its launch in September 2006.
The FTSE Taiwan Index Futures’ volume rose 11 per cent for 2024 to 18.6 million contracts, as investments in artificial intelligence boosted Taiwan’s equities market, which is heavily dependent on technology and semiconductor industries.
The total commodities traded volume rose 31 per cent in 2024. This was driven by record annual volumes in benchmark iron ore, SGX Sicom rubber and petrochemicals.
Notably, Singapore asset management company Lion Global Investors partnered Shenzhen-based China Merchants Fund Management to list the Lion-China Merchants Emerging Asia Select Index exchange-traded fund (ETF) on SGX Securities.
This is the world’s first Emerging Asia ETF traded in Singapore dollars. It gives traders access to the fast-growing markets of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and India in a single trade, SGX said.