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EWS

iShares MSCI Singapore Index ETF

5/21/2013, 3:00 PM ET

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Monday, May 13, 9:04 AM Vietnamese stocks (VNM) rise 0.6% after the country's central bank said Friday it would cut three policy rates by 100bps amid inflation which, at 6.61% in April, was a little more than a fourth of what it was less than two years ago. Elsewhere in the region, Malaysian stocks (EWM) add 0.88% to last week's 4.6% rally, Thai equities (THD) slip 0.3% after the country's finance minister fails to mention interest rates in a meeting with the central bank's policy-making committee, and stocks in Singapore (EWS) give back 1% of last week's gains amid profit-taking. Comment! [Global & FX]
Thursday, May 9, 7:48 AM Thai stocks (THD) continue to make new 19-year highs as the SET rises 0.4% to 1,621. In other regional action, Malaysian (EWM) equities lagged (-0.5%) for the second day in a row as the post-election euphoria wears off and stocks in Singapore (EWS) jump 0.6% on agribusiness earnings optimism (Olam OLMIF.PK +2.6%, Wilmar WLMIY.PK +1.2%). Comment! [Global & FX]
Wednesday, May 8, 10:18 AM In a reversal of Tuesday's action, Philippine stocks (EPHE +0.7%) rise 0.5%, recouping half of Monday and Tuesday's losses while Malaysian equities (EWM +0.3%) finally cool off after surging ~5% following Sunday's election. Elsewhere in the region, Thai stocks (THD +1.8%) rally 0.8% to a fresh 19-1/2 year high, while regional agribusiness heavyweight Wilmar (WLMIY.PK +2.4%) posts a 23% Y/Y increase in earnings, fueling a 0.9% bump for stocks in Singapore (EWS +0.8%). Comment! [Global & FX]
Friday, April 12, 7:57 AM Singapore's GDP shrunk an annualized 1.4% in Q1, better than estimates for -1.7%, but against growth of 3.3% in Q4. The news is enough to keep the central bank on the sidelines as it says it will not alter the slope or width of the currency band (the main tool for monetary policy). The Singapore ETF (EWS) +2.2% YTD. Comment! [Global & FX]
Wednesday, March 27, 10:24 AM ING joins Credit Suisse in revising down its growth outlook for Singapore, now calling for a contraction of 2.1% Y/Y in Q1 when the numbers are released next week. Growth is slowing even as inflation percolates, rising 4.9% in February. "Policymakers have painted themselves into a corner," says ING's Tim Condon. EWS flat YTD. 2 Comments [Global & FX]
Friday, February 15, 8:01 AM After a dismal 2012, the IPO market in Asia in general, Singapore in particular will get tested by the $1.3B launch of Mapletree - a REIT backed by state-owned fund Temasek. At the expected offering price, the yield could be as high as 6% vs. an average of around 5% for Singapore-traded REITs. EWS +1.5% YTD. Comment! [Global & FX]
Friday, January 25, 11:38 AM Singapore's industrial production slid 0.6% in December - the 4th decline in 5 months thanks to slumping demand for electronic items. Any optimism about growth is "just not feeding into our numbers," says Barclays' Wai Ho Leong, lamenting North Asia is instead seeing the business. EWS -0.5% YTD. Comment! [Global & FX]
Monday, December 31, 2012, 11:56 AM More details on iShares' ETF fee hikes: Going to 0.53% from 0.52% (a 1.9% hike) are its Ireland Capped Investable Market Fund (EIRL), Australia Fund (EWA), Canada Fund (EWC), Hong Kong Fund (EWH), Belgium Capped Fund (EWK), Switzerland Fund (EWL), Malaysia Fund (EWM), Netherlands Investable Market Fund (EWN), Spain Fund (EWP), France Fund (EWQ), Singapore Fund (EWS), United Kingdom Fund (EWU), Mexico Investable Market Fund (EWW) and EMU Fund (EZU). 2 Comments [Global & FX]
Monday, December 31, 2012, 8:47 AM More on the iShares price hikes: Mostly targeted for higher fees is the manager's line of single country ETFs - Brazil (EWZ), Japan (EWJ), Australia (EWA), Hong Kong (EWH), Canada (EWC), and Singapore (EWS), just to name a few of the more popular ones. 3 Comments [Global & FX]
Monday, December 17, 2012, 3:21 PM The Straits Times Index retreats a bit from 2012 highs after Singapore last night reported an unexpected 2.5% Y/Y decline in exports in November. Hopes for the trade-dependent nation had been for a 1.7% increase. "The demand for electronic goods ... especially in the U.S. has been dropping away faster than we've been looking for," says an analyst. EWS +27.8% YTD. 1 Comment [Global & FX]
Wednesday, December 5, 2012, 3:57 PM Jim Rogers turns bullish on Russia (RSX) for the first time in his career, believing Putin and the government have changed, and the country's gigantic potential is set to be realized. Of note are transportation routes, which could save time and money in getting goods to Asia by land rather than by ship. "It would ruin Singapore." 4 Comments [Global & FX, Quick Ideas]
Thursday, November 15, 2012, 12:32 PM Singapore home sales could slide up to 27% in 2013, according to David Neubronner, comparing the market to a boxer that's been punched too many times. The government has been trying - without success - to cool the market for 2 years, but now a slowing economy (expected to continue into next year) could add to the pressure. Comment! [Global & FX]
Wednesday, October 10, 2012, 7:30 AM Singapore's central bank is expected to ease policy this week, according to a survey of investment houses. The bank adjusts monetary policy through the currency, so easing means slowing the pace of the Singapore dollar's appreciation. The government recently cut its 2012 growth forecast and inflation has fallen to its slowest pace in 2 years. EWS +22.8% YTD. Comment! [Global & FX]
Friday, October 5, 2012, 1:48 PM It's eye clearly on the future, Singapore plans a $2.85B port expansion, betting on a big pickup in global trade and that it can withstand Malaysia's challenge to its market share. The country sits at a key spot for shipping routes, and is the world's biggest refueling stop, but saw exports decline 10.6% Y/Y in August. Comment! [Global & FX]
Wednesday, October 3, 2012, 11:16 AM Talk of easier monetary policy for Singapore grows ahead of next week's release of the central bank's half-yearly policy statement. The economy shrank 0.7% in Q2 and likely slipped into official recession in Q3, say economists. Thus far this year, shares don't seem to mind the slowdown. EWS +24.3% YTD. Comment! [Global & FX]
Tuesday, August 28, 2012, 12:02 PM Singapore investors familiar with EWS may be interested in an ETF covering small cap stocks there, EWSS. Getting little notice since its January launch, EWSS has gained 19.6%, outperforming its better-known cousin by more than 700 bps. More than 45% of the fund's assets are in REITs, giving it - like EWS - heavy exposure to finance and real estate. Comment! [Global & FX, Quick Ideas]