CFA Singapore Insights

INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

What retail investors should focus on: stable market principles

They can also rely on technology to build a strategic allocation that is aligned with their needs

While the theoretical S&P 500 grew US$1 into US$333 between 1926 and 1986, a realistic mutual fund return for that same period would have been only US$137.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

Your portfolio isn’t a century-old magical compounding machine

The lived experience of real-world investors is a gauntlet of taxes, fees and the need to spend money

Viewed in isolation, tight stop-losses appear prudent. But what looks like good risk control at the trade level can become opportunity destruction at the portfolio level.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

Why tight stop-losses often hurt investors

The practice can unintentionally undermine investments’ long-term performance by truncating exposure and amplifying behavioural frictions

By taking a direct equity stake, the government signals long-term commitment to domestic chip manufacturing, reinforcing Intel’s role as the only advanced semiconductor manufacturer operating at scale on US soil.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

How US state capital is reshaping strategic supply chains

Government investments are altering downside risk, return expectations and the long-term investment case for some companies

While synthetic risk transfers are more standardised and transparent than pre-2008 collateralised debt obligations, their bespoke nature and limited public disclosure still make some observers uneasy about assessing the true distribution of risk.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

How scary are synthetic risk transfers?

The scepticism about them is a form of post-traumatic stress from the financial crisis; the moral hazard today is lower than before 2008

Hurricane Melissa triggered a 100% payout of a US$150 million World Bank catastrophe bond for Jamaica.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

The growth story behind insurance-linked securities

Their appeal lies in their independence from economic cycles and their potential to provide steady returns even when traditional markets are under stress

Regulators and banks rightly treat seniors as vulnerable and try to minimise product risk. Yet, they should also be thinking about longevity risk – the danger of outliving their assets.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

From super savers to secure retirees: Rethinking how Singaporeans invest through life

Aligning behaviour with needs at each stage can help residents enjoy a retirement that is safe, secure, comfortable and dignified

Roughly half of Gen Z respondents described themselves as willing to take substantial or above-average risks, based on a 2023 Finra-CFA Institute Global Investor Survey.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

Gen Z sees markets as swipe, tap, trade

How digital financial platforms are designed could shape young people’ decisions – that is why the industry must also ensure investor protection

Brics nations, including India, are pushing ever-more trade and financing into the rupee, rouble, renminbi, real and rand.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

The ‘Rs’ challenging the US dollar: rupee, rouble, renminbi, real and rand

A new, more fragmented monetary order is emerging

The idea of committing capital for five to seven years without an exit option feels uncomfortable to many.
INSIGHTS FROM CFA SOCIETY SINGAPORE

Private credit needs a secondary market

Such markets address illiquidity fears known to plague investors in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific