Daily average value of SGX securities down 3% in Sept

Year-on-year decline to $940m; trading volume drops from August amid trade war concerns

The daily average value of securities traded on the Singapore Exchange last month was down 20.9 per cent from about $1.2 billion in August, while the derivatives volume was about 19.4 million versus 23.6 million in August. Total securities market tur
The daily average value of securities traded on the Singapore Exchange last month was down 20.9 per cent from about $1.2 billion in August, while the derivatives volume was about 19.4 million versus 23.6 million in August. Total securities market turnover last month was $19.7 billion, down 17.2 per cent from the previous month's figure. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

The daily average value of securities traded on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) slipped 3 per cent last month from the same month last year to $940 million.

There was also an overall drop in trading volume compared with August amid mixed sentiment linked to the US-China trade war.

Total securities market turnover last month fell 17.2 per cent from August to $19.7 billion, but was up 2 per cent on September last year.

The daily average value of securities traded slid 20.9 per cent from about $1.2 billion in August, while the derivatives volume was about 19.4 million versus 23.6 million in August.

The benchmark Straits Times Index (STI) generated total returns of 0.5 per cent last month, compared with declines in most South-east Asian markets. The top 10 dividend-yielding STI stocks averaged 4.5 per cent price returns year-to-date, compared with the STI's 1.7 per cent.

Utilities, banks and real estate excluding Reits (real estate investment trusts) were the top-performing sectors for the month, SGX data noted yesterday.

Reits continued to post positive returns, with about $327 million of net inflows from institutional investors over the first nine months of this year. The sector generated 24.2 per cent total returns in the January-September period.

Commodity prices continued to be volatile last month, fuelling demand for risk management. Iron ore derivatives volume surged 98 per cent year on year to 1.57 million contracts on the back of increased hedging by financial and physical market participants, ahead of a week-long holiday in China that began on Oct 1.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 12, 2019, with the headline Daily average value of SGX securities down 3% in Sept. Subscribe