Singapore Exchange (SGX) announced on Aug 11 that it will be “significantly expanding” its pan-Asia shelf of benchmark equity derivatives with a comprehensive series of Asia Ex-Japan and Emerging Markets (EM) Asia regional and single country futures.
These are based on Net Total Return (NTR) and Price Return indices calculated by FTSE Russell.
The 13 new futures, which will be launched in August and September, will cover almost 100% of Asia’s GDP. The new futures offer benchmarks in countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
SGX says the new futures meet its customers’ increasing demand for institutional-grade exchange solutions in Asia which offer superior operational and capital efficiency.
There are approximately US$16 trillion ($22.0 trillion) in reported fund assets under management (AUM) tracking FTSE Russell benchmarks.
Today, SGX has the largest and most liquid FTSE and MSCI equity index derivatives for Asian markets. The latest contracts are expected to be certified by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), enabling US investors to trade them directly from within the US.
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“The new contracts, derived from FTSE’s benchmark Global Equity Index Series (GEIS), are our next step in further developing and advancing SGX’s Asia-access waterfront,” says Michael Syn, head of equities at SGX.
“We look forward to bringing investors even more asset-class opportunities within the pan-Asian capital structure, based on broad strategies, sectors and themes,” he adds.
As at 9.17am, shares in SGX are trading 2 cents higher, or 0.2% up, at $8.66.
