iShares MSCI Singapore ETF·Financial Services

iShares MSCI Singapore ETF is rated a Buy, leveraging Singapore's aggressive AI adoption and strong governance as a forward-looking growth catalyst. Singapore's government-driven AI initiatives, including tax incentives and workforce upskilling, have propelled AI adoption from 24% in 2023 to 66% by 2025. EWS offers attractive fundamentals: a low ~15.3 P/E, ~2.3 P/S, a 0.5% expense ratio, and a >4% dividend yield, despite sector concentration in financials.

ASEAN's dividend opportunity is underpinned by diverse and evolving market characteristics. The FTSE ASEAN Index, which captures the large- and mid-cap companies listed in the five ASEAN markets - Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines - has delivered a 10-year average dividend yield of 3.57%. Across multiple market cycles over the past 25 years, a back-test of the FTSE ASEAN ex REITs Target Dividend Index's strategy showed notable resilience during market downturns and lower overall volatility compared with the broader ASEAN market.

EWS has a highly concentrated, cyclical exposure portfolio that tilts towards industrials and consumer discretionary sectors. It underweights local banks and telecommunication stocks, limiting its participation in STI's strongest multi-year performance. With a P/E of c.15.5, many constituents are at record highs, which heightens downside risk on earnings misses.

Singapore offers stable growth, strong governance and a resilient market, making Singapore-focused ETFs a strategic Asia allocation option.
The iShares MSCI Singapore ETF seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of Singaporean equities.