GPR / APREA Index

For REIT markets in the region, July’s rally lasted until the Jackson Hole meeting in August. The Fed reiterated its hawkish stance in its annual symposium, which sparked a selloff in the region’s markets. Geopolitical tensions also cast a pall on the region’s equities. Most central banks in the region continued to raise rates to keep pace with the Fed and rein in inflation; Thailand and Indonesia raised their respective policy rates for the first time in almost four years to join the list of central banks that are unwinding Covid-induced stimulus measures.

July’s news flow remained challenging, with investors expecting the developed world’s central banks to stay on a protracted hiking cycle and tighten money supply to combat inflation. On the back of the protracted conflict in Ukraine and slowing growth in the US and Europe, outlook for the global economy has also darkened. Meanwhile, data emerged that widespread lockdowns in China to stem Covid infections has strained economic activity in the second quarter. The country’s economy grew just 0.4% in that period – its slowest pace since the coronavirus outbreak two years ago. Still, capital markets in the region rebounded as investors shrugged off the negativity. Equities in the region rose as strong corporate earnings in the US and the expected resumption of Russian gas supply to Europe lifted sentiment.

Please find below the rebalancing results for the following GPR/APREA index series, which will become effective as of 19 September 2022 (start of trading):

• GPR/APREA Investable 100 Index
• GPR/APREA Investable REIT 100 Index
• GPR/APREA Composite Index
• GPR/APREA Composite REIT Index (indicated with an asterisk)

The Fed raised its key benchmark rate by 75 bps in June, to 1.50%-1.75%, to combat inflationary pressures, which reached 8.6% in May, the highest level in over 40 years. Central banks in the region followed suit with hikes in Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India and the Philippines noted. The hawkish stance heightened concerns about a possible US recession, which further clouded capital markets. Yields on 10-year treasuries rose above 3% to peak at 3.5% during the month before falling back. Key sections of the treasury yield curve also inverted as data on US inflation drove traders to boost bets on the pace of Fed tightening. Two-year yields rose above 10-year rates for the first time since April  while five-year yields were noted to have surged as much as 17 bps above 30-year rates to record the widest spread in over two decades. Consequently, markets are pricing in a growing risk that the Fed’s  bid to engineer a soft landing for the world’s biggest economy are likely to falter.