Can Singapore unlock value for its ‘Next 50’ stocks, or will they be a value trap?

[SINGAPORE] Singapore’s push for investors to look beyond the “safe haven” of banks, blue-chips and real estate investment trusts is gaining steam. But could it all go up in smoke?

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) in September launched the iEdge Singapore Next 50 Indices comprising the 50 largest and most liquid SGX-listed stocks beyond the 30 blue-chip constituents of the benchmark Straits Times Index (STI).

Buoyed by a raft of measures initiated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the Republic’s small and mid-cap stocks have been outperforming its heavyweight peers.