IN Brief

SET portfolio earns 1.9%

STOCKS :The Stock Exchange of Thailand reported that its investment portfolio showed a return of 1.9% for 2006.

Nongram Wongwanich, the SET's chief operating officer, said the return on the exchange's 10.98-billion-baht portfolio was below its initial target of 3%. She said the exchange expected returns of 4% to 5% this year, due in part to expectations of a rebound in equity prices

Fifty-six percent of the SET's investment portfolio is in fixed-income instruments, with 39% in equity, 3% in foreign investment funds and 2% in property funds. The portfolio is managed by local asset management companies.

ThaiBev added to index

STOCKS :Thai Beverage Plc is among six stocks that will be added to the Straits Times Index, the key barometer of the Singapore Exchange (SGX), market officials said yesterday.

In addition to ThaiBev, the producer of Chang beer and Mekhong rum among others, Suntec REIT, Olam, Labroy Marine, CapitaCommercial Trust and Genting International are being added to the benchmark index.

Dairy Farm, Haw Par Corporation, BIL and TPV Technology will be deleted.

The changes will go into effect on Monday, the SGX said.

The 50 stocks in the index represent 51% of the average daily value traded and 64% of the market's capitalisation. dpa

Bangkok Post
Friday February 02, 2007