Futures Focus

The SET50 index closed last week at 892.09 points, an increase of 6.38 points or 0.7% from the previous week. The most-traded SET50 futures contract S50U20 (expiring in September 2020) was settled at 888.40 points, an increase of 7.6 points or 0.9%.

The US stock market moved up for most of last week as the Federal Reserve reiterated its commitment to sustained, large-scale asset purchases. Investors were also optimistic about progress on a vaccine for coronavirus, but record daily increases in new cases were showing no signs of a letup in many US states, prompting fears of new lockdowns.

The Dow closed down 62 points on Friday to finish the week at 26,671.95, an increase of 2.2% from 26,075.30 the week before.

The SET rose 11.72 points on Friday on hopes that an imminent cabinet reshuffle and a new economic team might end short-term political uncertainty. The index finished the week at 1,359.58, an increase of 0.7% from 1,350.50 the week before.

On the TFEX, daily average trading volume was 346,968 contracts, a decrease of 74,046 contracts or 17.6% from the previous week. The most actively traded product was SET50 index futures with 807,018 contracts, or 161,404 per day. Total open interest was 1,994,115 contracts, an increase of 36,417 or 1.9%.