The contract, to be known as the FTSE/Xinhua China A50 Index Futures contract, is expected to be launched by September 2006. The A50 is one of the tradable indices in the FTSE/Xinhua Index Series, constituting the top 50 China “A” share stocks by market capitalisation, listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges.
Mr Linus Koh, Executive Vice President and Head of Products & Services Group at SGX said, “We are delighted to work with FXI to create investment opportunities in the growing China “A” share market. The SGX FTSE/Xinhua China A50 Index Futures contract will allow our market participants convenient access and the ability to manage their exposure to the domestic China “A” share market. This is another milestone for SGX and supports our efforts in developing as an investment gateway to Asia and strengthens our positioning as a premier risk management centre.”
The FTSE/Xinhua Index Series has fast become recognised as the leading benchmark and the first complete set of indices for the China market. The indices follow an award winning methodology and are well suited for the development of investment products. This agreement marks another step in growing market confidence in FXI and its index series.
Mr Zhu Shan, Managing Director, FXI said, “SGX’s decision to use the FXI A50 index as the basis for international derivatives products proves again that FXI indices are preferred by the investment community. The FXI A50 futures contract will join a growing list of financial products linked to FXI indices available worldwide for domestic and international investors.”
