Singapore Stock Exchange, SGX
Singapore Stock Exchange is Asia-Pacific's first demutualised and integrated securities and derivatives exchange.
Singapore Stock Exchange was established in Singapore in 1999 resulted from the merger of the Stock Exchange of Singapore and the Singapore International Monetary Exchange. SGX is Asia's first demutualised and integrated securities and derivatives exchange. SGX is at the forefront of exchanges globally in attracting international issuers and is rapidly emerging as Asia's offshore risk management centre for international derivatives. As of 30 April 2010, the SGX had 757 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of US$490 billion and average daily turnover of US$1.1 billion.
SGX Trading Hours
Trading sessions are held daily from Mondays to Fridays between 9.00 am - 12.30 pm and 14.00 pm - 17.00 pm. In addition, there is a Pre-Open Routine (8.30 am - 9.00 am) and Pre-Close Routine (17.00 pm - 17.06 pm). There is no trading on Singapore public holidays. When a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday will be a public holiday.
The trading hours mentioned above are stated in local time Singapore. The Standard time zone for Singapore is UTC/GMT +8 hours.
SGX Trading Markets
The company listings under the Singapore Stock Exchange is divided into the following:
- Mainboard: The companies that are listed under Mainboard have to fulfill certain criteria relating to market capitalization, pre-tax profits and operating track records.
- Catalist: is a market on Singapore Stock Exchange for fast-growing companies. Catalist vision is to be Asia's leading fund raising platform for fast-growing companies.
Mainboard is designed to cater to established companies while Catalist caters to fast-growing companies. The regulatory approach is also distinct, where Mainboard is an Exchange-regulated and supervised market and Catalist is an Exchange-regulated but Sponsor-supervised market.
There are 461 domestic Listings, 160 foreign listings (excluding China) and 153 China listings.
SGX Securities Market Products
Revenues of SGX are mainly from the securities market (75%) and derivatives market (25%). Investors can buy and sell a wide range of products through the electronic screen based system, including: equities, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Business Trusts, Infrastructure Funds, Global Depository Receipts, Bonds, Debentures and Loan Stocks, Company Warrants.
Within derivatives investors can trade with Equity Index Futures and Options on Futures, Short-Term Interest Rate Futures and Options on Futures, Long-Term Interest Rate Futures and Options on Futures, Extended Settlement (ES) Contracts, Commodity Futures, Structured Warrants, Certificates, OTC clearing of energy, freight and bulk commodity derivatives.
Main Indices Tracking SGX
The following are the indices used in the Singapore Stock Exchange:
- MSCI Singapore Free Index
- Strait Times Index
SGX History
The Singapore Exchange was created in 1999, when the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) and the Singapore International Monetary Exchange (SIMEX) merged into one. The SIMEX had been a futures exchange, started in 1984, while the SES had traded in stocks. At the end of 1998, the SES listed 307 companies and had a total market capitalization of S$263 billion. Before the merger, both companies were privately owned by the member firms of the exchanges.
In 2000, the Singapore Exchange became the first publicly held stock exchange in the Asia-Pacific, and listed its shares on its own exchange.
Written by: Goran Dolenc
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