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  • 7/30/2019 Spex Issue 38

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    -China3.0

    -GSTinMalaysia:Promotestaxationefficiency,burdensthepoor-Simplicityversuscomplexity(Part1)

    TheFortnightInBrief(13 thMayto26thMay)

    US:Willtheyorwontthey?

    FederalReserveChairmanBernanketestifiedbeforelawmakerslastweek,

    defendingthecentralbanksmonetarypolicyamidspeculationofwhetherits

    assetpurchasingwillbetaperedfollowingfavorableemploymentjobsnumbersin

    thepastmonths.10-yeartreasuryyieldsbrokeabove2%forthefirsttimesince

    MarchastheChairmanwarnedthattapertalkcouldoccurinitsnextfew

    meetingsiftheUSeconomyshowedsignsofasustainablerecovery,butstressedthatmonetarypolicywouldremainhighlyaccommodative.Newhomesales

    reachingitssecond-highestinnearlyfiveyears,coupledwithgainsinhousing

    market,autosandordersforU.S.durablegoodsisexpectedtolifttheeconomyin

    thesecondhalfoftheyear.

    AsiaPacific:PessimismFloodsChinasEconomy

    PessimismcontinuestospreadaboutChinaseconomicprospectsasUBScutits

    2013GDPforecastfrom8%to7.7%.ThismovefollowsinthestepsofGoldman

    Sachs,JPMorgan,RoyalBankofScotland,theWorldBankandIMF.Acombination

    offactors,includingwagegrowth,weakconsumptionandtepidexportsamongst

    others,hascontributedtothepessimism.HSBCflashPMIforChinafellto49.6inMayfrom50.4inApril.Thisisthefirsttimetheindexhasfallenbelow50since

    October2012andcouldputpressureontheChinesegovernmenttocuttaxesand

    increasespendingtoreviveitseconomy.

    EU:GermanytakesbilateralpathstotackleEUjobscrisis

    Germanyisbankingonbilateraldealstofightrecordyouthunemploymentinthe

    eurozone,agreeingtocooperatewithseveralcountriestobypasspan-European

    bureaucracy.Youthunemploymenthasreachedarecord42percentinPortugal

    and57percentinSpainasgovernmentsimplementausteritymeasures.Berlinis

    also about to announce a joint plan with Paris to address unemployment,

    followingadealannouncedwithSpainlastmonthtochannelmoneyfromprivateinvestorsintocredit-starvedsmallandmedium-sizedbusinesses.Policymakersin

    Berlin are frustrated by a lack of urgency at the European Commission,

    commentingthateffortstohelpsuchcompaniesareheldupbyEUstateaidrules

    meanttopreventunfaircompetition.

    INCOLLABORATION

    WITH

    PROUDLYSUPPORTEDBY

    ISSUE 38

    27 MAY 2013

    SMU Political-EconomicExchange

    ANSMUECONOMICSINTELLIGENCECLUBPRODUCTION

    1645

    1655

    1665

    1675

    S&P500

    302

    304

    306

    308

    310

    312

    STOXXEurope600

    545

    549

    553

    557

    561

    565

    MSCIACAsiaEx.Japan

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    Copyright 2012 SMU Economics Intelligence Club2

    China3.0

    ByAdamTan,SingaporeManagementUniversity

    TheChinesecharacter(numbereight)hasalwaysbeenassociatedwithprosperityand

    goodluckinChineseculture.However,eighthasincreasinglybeenagrowthfigureoutofreachfortheslowingChineseeconomy.Fundmanagersandanalystshadrecentlyadmitted

    thatitisnowbecomingagrowthceilinginsteadofafloorforthenextdecade.Tepidrecovery

    fromtheUnitedStatesandtheon-goingEurozonecrisisisnothelpingtheexport-oriented

    Asiangianteither.So,whatcanChinadotokeeptheiradmirablegrowthenginegoingata

    sustainablerate?Letsexplorethedifferentpossibleroutesavailabletothem.

    StructuralReform

    Overthepastyears,wordsofhardlanding1oftheChineseeconomyhavebeengoingaround

    wheneverthemarketstartstoturnbearish.Someclaimthatthesearejustnoiseandareofnogenuineconcern.However,sincetheturnoftheyear,thenewlyselectedadministrationhas

    acknowledgedtheneedforstructuralreformtopursuequalitygrowth.Thisledtomarket

    speculationinsmallcapitalizationtechnologicalandservicessectorstockslistedinShenzhen

    formingapossibleassetbubble.Thisspeculationismainlydrivenbytwofundamental

    reasons:1)reductionoffixedcapitaltodrivegrowth,and2)shiftawayfromthelowvalue-

    addexporttoservicesexportmodel.

    Source:WorldBank Source:CEIC

    Asseenonthechartontheleft,ChinaleadstheUnitedStatesandJapan(thelargestand3rd

    largesteconomyintheworld)intermsoffixedcapitalasapercentageofGDPbymorethan

    double.Thisisnotagoodsigngiventhatmosteconomicgrowthforthepastdecadewere

    drivenbythecoastalprovincesandcities(Shanghai,Beijing,ZhejiangandGuangdong).

    DeleveragingfromrelianceonfixedcapitaltowardsthelevelsoftheUnitedStatesandJapan

    willbeapointtonoteforinterestedinvestorsinthelongrun.

    30%

    40%

    50%

    60%

    70%

    80%

    90%

    2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

    Services (%) of GDP

    CN US JP

    10%

    15%

    20%

    25%

    30%

    35%

    40%

    45%

    50%

    2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

    Fixed Capital (%) of GDP

    CN US JP

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    Copyright 2012 SMU Economics Intelligence Club3

    ThechartontherightshowsthecontributionoftheservicessectortowardsoverallGDP.This

    chartprovidestheidealsolutionforChinaslackofalternativegrowthdrivers.Thelargegap

    betweentheUnitedStates/JapanandChinasignifieshugegrowthpotentialasChina

    eventuallymaturesintoafirstworldeconomy.However,caveattothisliesinhowmarginal

    Chinasservicessectorhasgrown(39%to43%)overthepastdecadeandwhethertheywill

    beabletoactuallyfulfillthispotential.Thekeydrivertoservicesgrowthwillbecorrelatedto

    howquicklythemiddleclassdisposablehouseholdincomegrowthwillbe,whichbringsmeto

    mysecondpoint:policyreform.

    PolicyReform

    Onemajorproblemfacedbyleadersofmanydevelopedcountriesthesedaysseemstocircle

    aroundincomeequalityandtheirGiniCoefficient2.ThisproblemisnotuniquetoChinabutis

    akeyissuethattheChineseleadersneedtoaddressbeforeitgetsblownoutofproportion.

    ChinaslatestGiniCoefficientestimatein2012placedtheminoneofthetopthree(at47.4)

    slightlybehindBrazilandMexico.Thisnumberworsensfromthepreviousestimateof42.5backin2005.Thismaybeastatisticalprooftothesayingthat80%oftheincomeismadeby

    20%ofthepopulationasevidentlytheincomegaphaswidenedbetweenthetopandbottom

    overtheyears.Theurgencytopushforwardtheimplementationofanationwideminimum

    wagelawbefore2015shouldcommandthesamepriorityastheneedtotacklegraftand

    corruptioninthecurrentadministration.Onlywhengainstrickledownfromthetopofthe

    pyramidtothemiddleclass,willtheirdisposableincomeincreaseandhelpdrivegrowthin

    theservicessector.

    Source:WorldBank

    55

    48

    47

    41

    40

    36

    Brazil

    Mexico

    China

    USA

    Russia

    UK

    Gini Coefficient

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    Copyright 2012 SMU Economics Intelligence Club4

    LongArduousJourneyAhead

    Resistinghotmoney3inflowandtherealestatebubbleareotherchallengesin-progressfor

    thecurrentadministration.However,settingthestagerightforthefuturebymakingthehard

    decisionofimplementingstructuralandpolicyreformprudentlywillyieldgreatergrowthand

    prosperity.QuotingthelateChairmanoftheCommunistPartyofChina,DengXiaoping,the

    currentadministrationneedstocrosstheriverbyfeelingthestones.

    Sources:

    1.Bloomberg2.TheFinancialTimes3. Investopedia

    1HardLanding

    Aneconomicstatewhereintheeconomyisslowingdownsharplyoristippedinto

    outrightrecessionafteraperiodofrapidgrowth,duetogovernmentattemptstoreinininflation.

    2GiniCoeeficient

    Ameasurementoftheincomedistributionofacountry'sresidentsrangingbetween0

    and100.0signifiesperfectequalityand100signifiesperfectinequality.

    3HotMoney

    Flowoffundsfromonecountrytoanotherinordertoearnashort-termprofitoninterestratedifferencesorexchangerateshifts.Duetoitsfastmovingnature,itcan

    potentiallycausemarketinstability.

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    Copyright 2012 SMU Economics Intelligence Club5

    GSTinMalaysia:Promotestaxationefficiency,burdens

    thepoor

    ByLeeGuojun,SingaporeManagementUniversity

    WhenMalaysianMinisterinthePrimeMinister'sDepartment,DatukSeriIdrisJalasaidifthenewgoodsandservicestax(GST)weretobeimplementedat7%,itwouldincreasethe

    MalaysiasrevenuebyRM27billion,ahugeuproarfromthepublicensued.However,justacrosstheCausewaySingaporeanshavebeenlivingwitha7%GSTsince2007;withsome

    starkdifferencesbetweenthetwocountrysGSTschemes,ofcourse.

    AccordingtotheMalaysiasMinistryofFinance,GSTisavalue-addedconsumptiontax

    imposedongoodsandservicesateveryproductionanddistributionstage,includingthestagewheregoodsandservicesareimported.Thismeansthatimporters,manufacturers,retailers,

    andfinallytheendconsumers,wouldbechargedacertainpercentageoftax.However,

    businessesthatareregisteredunderGSTwouldbeabletoclaimaninputtaxcredit,whichis

    ultimatelybornebytheendusers.Currently,MalaysiaadoptsaSalesandServicesTax(SST)wherethesalestaxisgenerallyfixedat10%dependingonthetypeofgoodssold,andaservicetaxrateof5%imposedonservicesinthefoodandbeverageindustry,healthand

    professionalandconsultancyservices.

    TherationalebehindtheMalaysiangovernment'splanstoimplementGSTintheeconomyis

    toenhancethecapability,effectiveness,andtransparencyofthetaxadministrationand

    managementinMalaysia.TheGSTwouldalsobemorecomprehensivethanthecurrentSSTbecauseitwouldofferlesstaxexemptions1thattheSST.AnotherreasonbehindtheGST

    implementationistohelpthegovernmentreininitseverincreasingpublicdebt2.WhileMalaysia'sGDPgrowthhasbeenaveragingastrong7%overthepast5yearsdespitethe

    globalfinancialcrisisof2008/2009,muchofithasbeenattributedtolargegovernment

    spendingonmega-infrastructureprojects.Mostoftheseprojectshoweverareslowlybecomingwhiteelephants.AshortdrivethroughJohorandonewouldnoticethelarge

    numberofpartiallyconstructedcommercialbuildingshavenotbeencompletedforseveral

    years.Thelarge-scaleabandonmentofinfrastructureprojectshaveproducednearlyzeroreturnoninvestments,andhasleftMalaysiawithanevenlargerpublicdebtburden,asthe

    countryedgesclosertowardstheparliamentaryimposed55%ofGDPdebtlimit3.

    WhiletheGST'seffectivenessinreininginpublicdebtremainsahotlydebatedtopicin

    Malaysia,imposinga7%onallgoodsandserviceswithimmediateeffectwoulddefinitelyharmconsumers,especiallythoseinthelowerincomebracketaslivingcostsarealready

    alarminglyhigh.WhileitisimportanttonotethatimplementingtheGSTwouldalter

    consumptionpatternsandthusencouragesavingsandinvestment,itmaynotbetruefor78%oftheMalaysianpopulationthatearninglessthanRM2,500permonth,saysthePeople's

    JusticePartyTradeandInvestmentBureauChiefWongChen.Spendingondailynecessitiesconstitutesalargepercentageofincomeforthoseinthelowerincomebrackets,andtheGST

    wouldleavelittleforthesehouseholdstosave.Introducinga7%"shock"increaseindaily

    necessitiescouldpotentiallywipeoutsavingsforthelowerincomegroupsaltogether.

    AlthoughthisauthoragreesthattheimplementationoftheGSThasitsbenefitsintermsof

    improvingtheefficiencyoftaxadministrationandmanagementandalsoreducingMalaysia's

    dependenceondirecttaxes,currentprogresswithintheMalaysiangovernmentleavesmore

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    questionsthananswers.ThereareimprovementsthatneedstobedonebeforetheGSTcanbe

    rolledoutinMalaysia.OnesuchimprovementthattheMalaysiangovernmentshouldconsideristoexemptdailynecessitiessuchasfood,utilities,andaccommodationfromGSTfor3to5

    years,ensuringthatthesavingsoflow-incomehouseholdsarenotadverselyaffectedinthe

    shortrun.

    SingaporecomesintomindwhenMalaysiansdebatetheimpactofGSTontheirconsumption

    andsavingspattern.AstheMalaysianMinistryofFinancecontinuestocrunchnumbersinsearchoftheidealGSTrate(currentresearchhasconcludedthattheGSTrateshouldbe

    between4-6%althoughitisunconfirmed),SingaporesversionofGSTofferssomethingtoponderon.OnewayisfortheMalaysiangovernmenttoslowlyadjusttheGSTrateto7%over

    aperiodofatleasttenyears.SingaporeintroducedtheGSTin1994startingat3%,whichheld

    onfornearly9yearsbeforebeingincreasedto4%,andsubsequentlytothecurrentrateof7%on1stJuly2007.ThisslowadjustmentoftheGSTratehasnotonlymadeiteasierfor

    householdstocopewithhigherlivingcosts,buthasalsohelpedSingaporereduceitsreliance

    ondirecttaxes,especiallycorporatetax.ThisschemeallowstheSingaporegovernmentmoreroomtocutdirecttaxrates,ensuringthatSingaporeremainscompetitiveinattracting

    internationalcapitalandlabortogrowitseconomy.Besidescommittingtoanoincreaseintaxrateforanumberofyearsbeforereadjustment,offsetpackageswerealsoofferedto

    householdstohelpallaytheshort-termshockofincreasedlivingcosts.

    AlthoughtheGSTfacesstiffoppositionfromthepublicandparticularlyMalaysiasopposition

    parties,thetaxifimplementedproperly,wouldserveasagreattoolinreininginMalaysia's

    publicdebtandreduceitsrelianceonincomethroughdirecttaxes.WithitsASEANneighborssuchasSingaporeandVietnamundergoingeconomicreformtoaddresstheirdomestic

    concerns,itishightimethatMalaysiagetsitsGSTimplementationright,inordertoremaincompetitiveintheregion.

    Sources:

    1.NewsStraitsTimes2.MinistryofFinanceMalaysia3.RoyalMalaysianCustomsDepartment4.FreeMalaysiaToday.com5.TheMalaysianInsider

    1TaxExemptionTobefreefrom,ornotsubjectto,taxationbyregulatorsorgovernmententities.Ataxexemptentitycanbeexcusedfromasingleormultipletaxationlawsdueto

    variousreasons.

    2PublicDebt

    Publicdebtisthedebtowedbyacentralgovernmentusuallyusedtofinanceagovernmentdeficit(adifferencebetweengovernmentreceiptsandspending).

    3DebtLimitThemaximumdebtagovernmentisallowedtohold.

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    Simplicityversuscomplexity:Whatarethelimitsof

    structuredfinancialproducts?(Part1)ByShaneAi,SingaporeManagementUniversity

    TheParableoftheProdigalSontellsastoryofason,whosquandershisinheritance,onlytorealizehisfollyandreturnhometohisfatherswelcomingarms.Similarly,structured

    products,onceheraldedasthepeakoffinancialinnovation,havesufferedtremendousbacklashinrecentyears.Tilltoday,opinionsbetweenregulators,issuersandinvestorson

    theircredibilityremaindivided.Whileaddressingthelimitsofstructuredproducts1,perhaps

    amorepertinentquestionwouldbe:Shouldtheybewelcomedbackatall?

    Afamiliaritywiththeiroriginwillhelpintacklingthisissue.Investmentbanksbeganwithengineeringtheseproductsforinstitutions,whichwereessentiallyvanillainstruments2

    wrappedintohighlycustomizedpayoffs.Thisprovedtobewin-winforbothclientsand

    issuers,asfirmscouldissuecheaperdebtandbanksenjoyedhighermargins.

    Anothersignificantdevelopmentdatesbackto2000,whenthedotcombubbleburst.

    Heightenedriskaversionledtoretailinvestorswantingtoparticipateinhigherreturnswithouttherisk,soissuersofferedCapital-ProtectedNotestothepublic,amongothers.

    Furtherfanningtheirproliferationweretechnologicaladvancesandfavorablemarketconditions.Inlinewithinvestorsinsatiabledesirestohavetheircakeandeatittoo,financial

    engineerscreatedproductsthatoccupiedthemiddlegroundbetweentheimpossibletrinityof

    return-seeking,premium-resistantandrisk-aversebehaviors.

    Beforeexaminingthe2008crisisfallout,structuredfinanceshouldbeunderstoodonadeeper

    level.Conventionalinnovationprovidesdirectutilitytoitsusers,withorwithoutcons.

    Proponentsoffinancialinnovationhaveextendedthiscontentiontofinance,whichistoosimplisticatbest.Whilecertainformsoffinancialinnovationdoesmakeliveseasier(thinkATMs),itremainsunclearifeasiercreditconfersanyutilityatall.Toillustratethispoint,the

    benefitsofowningawatcharecertain,butsecuritizationsimplyallowsforcredittobe

    obtainedinnewerways.Whetherthisleadstooverallpositiveoutcomesdependsoneconomicagentsinvolved.

    Pre-2007,severeincentivemisalignmentandunsoundriskassessmentplaguedtheentireUSmortgagesecuritization3chain.Whatisapparentnow,inhindsight,isthattheactionsof

    economicagentscatalyzedthecrisis,nottheinnovationinitself.Theeconomicbenefitofsecuritizationisprimarilythedistributionofrisktoabroaderinvestorbase.Ironically,risk

    concentrationoccurredinstead,asfinancialinstitutionswereeasilyabletoleveruptheirexposurestothisassetclass.Subsequently,whenthesoundnessofsubprimemortgageswasquestioned,aCDOfiresalewastriggered,resultinginwrite-offsonbankbalancesheetsanda

    systemwithlittleliquidity.

    Itissafetosaythatstructuredproductshavefoundtheirlimitsinthepotentialforabusein

    securitization.Fundamentally,itisnavetoassumethattherewillbeaninexhaustiblesourceoffuturerevenuestreamstopawnlaMBS.Sincethecrisis,thestructuredcreditsectorhas

    undergonesignificantdeleveragingandcurrentglobalCDOsoutstandingareat38%oftheir

    2007levels.Tougherlendingstandardsandregulationshavealsoledtoissuerphobia,with2011newissuesfalling90%from2007.Hence,currentsystemicdamagepotentialfrom

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    securitizationhaslargelybeenstemmedanditisunlikelythatwewillseearepeatof2008

    vis--visstructuredcredit.

    Movingbeyondstructuredcredit,itiscrucialtoscrutinizethepost-2008structuredproduct

    stigma.Afallacyofcomposition,thestructuralshortcomingsofUSstructuredcreditwereextendedtoallstructuredproducts.Viewingthemasoneencompassingassetclassis

    erroneous.Besidesannuities(includingCDOs),structuredproductscomeinotherwrappers,

    namelyinsuredCDs,notesandfunds.Issuerriskwasinconceivablepre-crisis,giventhecounterpartieswerefinancialtitans.ThisledtomassivepublicoutcriesinSingaporeand

    HongKong,whereinvestorswerefuriousthattheirLehman-linkednoteswerenotfullyPrincipal-Protectedasbelieved.Also,structuredproductsoffernotjustprotection,but

    variablelevelsofinvestorparticipationaswell.Thus,theflawedproductsandtheir

    imperfectionscomprisemerelyasmallsubsetoftheentireproductuniverse.

    Populistnotionshavealsodemonizedstructuredproductsbyclaimingthatfinancial

    institutionsareusingtheproductstoreaphighmarginsatthepublicsexpense.Uponcloserinspection,thisprovestobeuntrue.Retailincomeonlyaccountedforone-thirdoftotal

    incomefromstructuredproductpre-crisissales.Theimportanceofthissharehassincediminished,withthemajorityofproductclientsbeingprivatebanksandinstitutions.

    Structuredproductshavebecomethesecond-favorite(2010:24%)amongalternative

    investmentsforAsianHNWIs,furtherboostingthesignificanceofthisclientsegment.Next,regulatorypushes,likefurtherproductpricingtransparencyfromBaselIIIandDodd-Frank

    andincertainjurisdictions,extremelystringentproductapprovalprocedures,haveledto

    greatercostsandcompliancecomplexityforstructurersanddistributors,effectivelymakingretailsalesanimpracticality.Givenhowheavilydistributorswerepenalizedin2008,this

    issueisveryprevalentinAsia,wherewhite-labelingdominatesstructuredretail.Combinethiswithhowglobalon-exchangevolumeshavedeclined30%from2011,anditisnotso

    ironicthatactivityisdecliningdespitemoreregulation.Lastly,issuerreputationalriskis

    extremelyrelevanttoday,giveneverincreasingscrutinybyregulatorsandthepublic.Puttingthisintoperspectiveishowretailnotestook4yearsbeforereappearinginSingaporepost-

    Lehman,withonlyoneoffering.

    Nextweek,Shanecontinueshisdiscussiononstructuredproductsandtheirviability

    1StructuredProductsAstructuredproductisgenerallyapre-packagedinvestmentstrategybasedon

    derivatives,suchasasinglesecurity,abasketofsecurities,options,indices,

    commodities,debtissuanceand/orforeigncurrencies,andtoalesserextent,swaps.

    2VanillaInstrumentsThemostbasicorstandardversionofafinancialinstrument,usuallyoptions,bonds,futuresandswaps.

    3MortgageSecuritization

    Theturningofamortgageintoasecurityorabondwhichrepresentsaclaimonthe

    cashflowsfrommortgageloans.

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    Sources:

    1.Europe'sUnemploymentProblemsWorsen,publishedbyWorldStreetJournal,byArtPatnaudeandWilliamHorobin

    2.Capgemini.(2011).Asia-PacificWealthReport2011.Retrievedfromhttp://www.ml.com/media/114333.pdf

    3.Mgge,D.(2009).Talesoftailsanddogs:Derivativesandfinancializationincontemporarycapitalism,ReviewofInternationalPoliticalEconomy,16:3,514-526

    4. Johnson,S.(2009,April18).Financialinnovationforbeginners.Retrievedfromhttp://baselinescenario.com/2009/04/18/financial-innovation-for-beginners/

    5.Zeisberger,C.(2007).Pervasivenessofstructuredproductstoomuchstructuretoolittlestrength?.Retrievedfrom

    http://www.insead.edu.sg/asiafinance/documents/StructuredProducts_May07_JW.pdf

    6.Enskog,D.(2012,October30).Structuredproductsadapttothenewmarketenvironment.Retrievedfromhttps://infocus.credit-

    suisse.com/app/article/index.cfm?fuseaction=OpenArticle&aoid=371687&coid=118&lang

    =EN

    7.Moiseiwitsch,J.(2012,August20).Thedeclineandfallofstructuredproducts.Retrievedfromhttp://www.scmp.com/business/money/investment-

    products/article/1018369/decline-and-fall-structured-products

    8.Collins,H.(2012,November13).Structuredproductseurope:Investorsunawareofregulatoryimprovements,sayspeakers.Retrievedfromhttp://www.risk.net/structured-

    products/news/2224515/structured-products-europe-investors-unaware-of-regulatory-

    improvements-say-speakers

    9.HKSFC.(2006).Stockinvestorsurvey.Retrievedfromhttp://www.sfc.hk/web/doc/EN/speeches/public/surveys/06/stock_investor_survey_060602.pdf

    10. Chew,V.(2010).Lehmanbrothersminibondsaga.Retrievedfromhttp://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1654_2010-03-19.html

    11. Millers,V.(2012,November5).Structuredproductscouldleadthewayinnewnomenclaturestandards.Retrievedfromhttp://www.risk.net/structured-

    products/news/2222494/structured-products-could-lead-the-way-in-new-nomenclature-

    standards

    12. SIFMA.(2012).Statistics.Retrievedfromhttp://www.sifma.org/research/statistics.aspx

    13. Anderson,J.(2012,January).http://media.pimco.com/documents/featuredsolutionandersonpetersonstructuredcreditjan2012.pdf.Retrievedfrom

    http://media.pimco.com/Documents/FeaturedSolutionAndersonPeterson

    StructuredCreditJan2012.pdf

    14. Bhat,S.(2009,November27).Takingstockofstructuredproducts.Retrievedfromhttp://business.asiaone.com/Business/My+Money/Building+Your+Nest+Egg/Investments

    +And+Savings/Story/A1Story20091125-182276.html

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    TheS&P500isafree-floatcapitalization-weightedindexpublishedsince1957ofthepricesof500large-capcommonstocksactivelytradedin

    theUnitedStates.IthasbeenwidelyregardedasagaugeforthelargecapUSequitiesmarket

    TheMSCI Asiaex Japan Index is a freefloat-adjustedmarket capitalization indexconsisting of10developedand emergingmarketcountry

    indices:China,HongKong,India,Indonesia,Korea,Malaysia,Philippines,Singapore,Taiwan,andThailand.

    The STOXXEurope 600 Index is regardedasa benchmark for European equity markets. It represents large, mid and small capitalization

    companiesacross18 countriesof theEuropean region:Austria,Belgium,Denmark, Finland,France,Germany,Greece, Iceland,Ireland,Italy,

    Luxembourg,theNetherlands,Norway,Portugal,Spain,Sweden,SwitzerlandandtheUnitedKingdom.

    Correspondents:

    VeraSoh(VicePresident,Publication)

    [email protected]

    SingaporeManagementUniversity

    Singapore

    NgJiaWei(VicePresident,Operations)

    [email protected]

    SingaporeManagementUniversity

    Singapore

    SamuelOng(PublicationsDirector/Editor)

    [email protected]

    SingaporeManagementUniversitySingapore

    YingyuZeng(LiaisonOfficer)

    [email protected]

    SingaporeManagementUniversitySingapore

    NgYongxiang(MarketingDeputy)

    [email protected]

    Singapore

    DarrenGohXianYong(Editor)

    [email protected]

    Singapore

    AdamTan(Writer)

    Undergraduate

    LeeKongChianSchoolofBusiness

    SingaporeManagementUniversity

    [email protected]

    ShaneAi(Writer)

    Undergraduate

    SchoolofEconomics

    SingaporeManagementUniversity

    [email protected]

    LeeGuojun(Writer)

    Undergraduate

    SchoolofEconomics

    SingaporeManagementUniversity

    [email protected]

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