ONE could confidently expect the Singapore Exchange (SGX) to hold its own against all comers. In such a scenario, the "watching brief" by the writer of the letter "Expectations of incoming SGX CEO should be toned down" (BT, June 12) appears pretentious, if not uncalled for, considering the newly appointed CEO is still weeks away from sitting in the saddle.

The writer's blanket assumption that "everyone is looking to the new CEO as the Messiah" is woolly thinking. There must be hordes of people around who are plainly indifferent to who captains SGX. But leaving that aside, with SGX in the invidious position of simultaneously being market regulator as well as a public-listed company with focus on its bottom line, it could be argued that SGX shareholders have as much reason (if not more) to "tone down their expectations", as market players and involved trading representatives.

The presumption that any meaningful change is "very unlikely" is, to say the least, quite unflattering to the new appointee with the implied innuendo that the latter has little option/room (or ability?) except to maintain the status quo (or ante). New brooms are traditionally expected to "sweep clean", so why make a particular exception here?