OREANDA-NEWS. In the June month to date, the SPDR® Gold Shares ETF, SPDR® Straits Times Index (STI) ETF and iShares MSCI India Index ETF have been the most active ETFs by turnover. The three ETFs have averaged a flat performance in the month through to the 17 June close, which has taken their average year-to-date total return to 2.8%. This was due to a year-to-date 14.9% return in SGD terms for the SPDR® Gold Shares ETF and similar declines in total return for the STI and MSCI India Index.

The trio of ETFs have averaged a total return of 6.7% over the past three years and, longer-term, the three ETFs have averaged a 42.6% total return since the SPDR® Gold Shares ETF was listed in Singapore in October 2006. The SPDR® Gold Shares ETF was listed with the intention of lowering many of the barriers, such as access, custody, and transaction costs, that had traditionally prevented investors from investing in gold.

The month-to-date 3.9% gain of the price of SPDR® Gold Shares ETF units in SGD terms has coincided with increased volatility across equity and debt markets and the referendum to determine if Britain will stay in or leave the European Union. Termed Brexit, views have differed in recent weeks on what effect a “yes” vote will have on the regulation, finance, trade, investment and migration policies of Britain, which is also the world’s fifth largest economy.

Meanwhile the STI has seen 10 stocks gain, 2 stocks remain unchanged and the remaining 18 stocks decline in the month-to-date. The STI declined 1.0% in the month through to 17 June, with the average decline of the STI stocks at 0.8%. The five strongest STI stocks over the month to date were City Developments, Hutchison Port Holdings Trust, Thai Beverage PCL, Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and StarHub. These five stocks averaged a 4.6% total return in the month thus far. City Developments has re-entered the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Developed Index effective today, following the 2 June announcement of its re-inclusion. There were no other changes relevant to Singapore for the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate Index, Asia region.