Futures Focus

The SET50 Index closed last week at 1,074.39 points, an increase of 24.10 points or 2.29% from the previous week. The most active SET50 Futures contract S50H15 (expiring in March 2015) was settled at 1,066.20 points, an increase of 20.10 points or 1.92%.

Global stock markets were positively influenced by a strong rebound in oil prices. US stocks recorded solid gains on Thursday on deal news and upbeat quarterly earnings, pushing the S&P and Dow into positive territory for the year. The Dow slipped on Friday as concerns about Greece outweighed good jobs data, closing at 17,824.29, up 3.8% from the week before. Stocks in Japan and Australia also rose Friday, benefiting from a spike in oil prices while Chinese stocks fell on concern over the economy.

Thai stocks moved in line with global markets. The SET index snapped two days of falls on Monday, led by energy, but tourism stocks slipped following the explosion of two small bombs at Siam Paragon on Sunday. On Tuesday, the SET index hovered around a 20-month high as gains in large-cap energy shares overshadowed weakness in airline stocks amid a rise in oil futures. The SET ended the week at 1,613.63 points, up 2.1% from a week earlier.

On the TFEX, daily average trading volume was 193,399 contracts, a decrease of 19,082 contracts or 9% from the previous week. The most actively traded product was Single Stock Futures with 473,196 contracts or 94,639 per day. Total market open interest was 1,217,102 contracts, an increase of 60,013 or 5.19%.