Thai bourse's index soars 41 percent above 2010

The overview performance of the Thai capital market in 2010 improved year-on-year, whether in terms of indices, market capitalization, or trading value. The Stock Exchange of Thailand's SET Index closed 2010 at 1,032.76, up 40.60 percent from end-2009 and the second biggest rise in Asia.

Total market capitalization from both SET and Market for Alternative Investment (Mai) as of Nov. 8, 2010 hit an all-time high at THB8.56 trillion (approx. US$280.20 billion). The year 2010 saw a new record high in daily average trading value of SET and mai combined of THB29.06 billion (approx. US$ 950.49 million), a year-on-year increase of 59.47 percent. Other all-time highs include Internet-based trading reaching 24.56 percent of total trading by value and daily average derivatives trading volume reached 18,676 contracts.

In 2010, the number of transactions on the SET represented a very high increase. Even though trading was limited during the first five months of the year due to local political problems, local investor confidence and foreign fund flows into Thai and other regional stock markets in the second half of 2010 making Thai Exchange's index rise 40.60 percent, which was second highest in Asia (the Indonesian index rose 46.13 percent).

Thai sectoral stock indices also improved in 2010 over their 2009 performances, particularly the Industrials, Agro & Food Industry and Services, whose gains outpaced the SET Index. In addition, the forward P/E ratio of the SET at end-December 2010 increased to 14.55 times from end-2009, while the Mai index closed at 272.79 points at end- 2010, or a 26.70 percent year-on -year rise.

At end-2010, the SET's market capitalization was at THB8.33 trillion (approx. USD272.55 billion), a 41.91 percent y-o-y rise, while the mai market capitalization was THB55.12 billion (approx. US$1.8 billion), a 40.88 percent y-o-y increase. As a result, the ratio of the market cap to GDP went up from 65.40 percent at the end of 2009 to 86.48 percent.

In 2010, average daily turnover at SET and Mai was at THB29.06 billion (approx. USD950.49 million), a 59.47 percent y-o-y rise, which is the highest since the Thai stock market opened 35 years ago. Foreign investors were net buyers of THB81.41 billion (approx. US$2.66 billion).