Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd., Japan’s largest asset manager and a wholly owned subsidiary of Nomura Holdings, Inc., today listed its NEXT FUNDS Thai Stock SET50 Exchange Traded Fund (ticker: 1559) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, marking the first listing of a Thai-stock ETF in Japan.
The ETF is designed to track the SET50 Index, a widely recognized Thai stock price index calculated by the Stock Exchange of Thailand, and directly holds a portfolio composed of Thai stocks (including depositary receipts).
A listing ceremony was held today at the Tokyo Stock Exchange attended by Mr. Toshihiro Iwasaki, Deputy President of Nomura Asset Management; H.E. Virasakdi Futrakul, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to Japan; Mr. Veerathai Santiprabhob, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of SET; and Mr. Atsushi Saito, President & CEO of TSE.
Commenting on the listing, Mr. Toshihiro Iwasaki said: “We are pleased to launch an ETF that provides an exciting opportunity for Japanese investors to invest in the growth market of Thailand. We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Tokyo Stock Exchange to help make this possible.”
Mr. Veerathai Santiprabhob, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of SET, said: “While Thailand has been the preferred destination for Japanese foreign direct investment for decades, Japanese portfolio investors have had relatively small exposure to the Thai equity market. This Thai Stock SET50 ETF will provide Japanese retail and institutional investors with an important channel to benefit from Thailand’s growing economy. Despite the recent global economic slowdown and domestic political uncertainties, Thai blue chip companies have proved highly resilient and their strong performance has attracted interest from portfolio investors around the world. In 2010, the SET index increased by 56 percent in USD terms, making Thailand one of the best performing markets in East Asia and one of the top-five performing markets in the world. Since the beginning of 2011, the SET index has gained a further 7 percent in USD terms, continuing Thailand’s position a one of East Asia’s best performing markets.”
Mr. Atsushi Saito, President & CEO of TSE, said: “We are delighted to list Nomura’s NEXT FUNDS Thai Stock SET50 Exchange Traded Fund, a product that tracks the movement of the SET50 Index calculated and publicized by the Stock Exchange of Thailand. This product will allow investors in Japan to include Thai equities in their portfolios. We hope that this listing will further facilitate access to the Thailand stock market by Japanese investors and deepen capital flows between both countries.”
Today’s Trading of “NEXT FUNDS Thai Stock SET50 Exchange Traded Fund” closed at 1,991 yen. Trading volume was 3,808 units.
