Opinion & Features

Banks are raising interest rates even as investors have been piling into stocks – what happens now?

Investors should tread carefully as steadily rising interest rates gradually erode the attractiveness of stocks

Ben Paul

Published Mon, Nov 21, 2022 · 05:50 AM

FORGET cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency exchanges. With interest rates rising, the most exciting investment products at the moment seem to be savings and fixed deposit accounts.

This past week, even as heavyweight investors such as Temasek Holdings, Sequoia Capital and SoftBank Group counted the cost of their failed investments in FTX, OCBC made headlines with the launch of a 12-month fixed deposit product aimed at Central Provident Fund (CPF) members that pays 3.4 per cent per annum.

The fixed deposit product is being offered under the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS), which allows CPF members to invest in everything from stocks and bonds to unit trust funds and endowment policies.