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Published on July 27, 2007

CEO Suvit Mapaisansin said yesterday that his company's private-fund business had been ramping up steadily over the past seven years, from Bt15 billion in 2001 to Bt50 billion in 2005 and Bt78 billion as of last

month.

Its private fund has about 1,000 active customers with portfolios ranging from Bt10 million to several billions of baht.

These customers contributed 1.82 per cent of Phatra's total brokerage income in 2005, 2.64 per cent last year and 2.9 per cent and 3.64 per cent in the first and second quarters of this year.

Suvit said serving as a financial adviser for the private fund was the key to boosting overall business. The focus has been on institutional investors, but now the company has shifted to acting as a financial

adviser to high net-worth clients and is training more staff to support the expanding business.

The SET Index is likely to rise to 1,000 this year, rather than next year as was expected, thanks to strong capital inflows.

Foreign investors still view stocks here as a better bargain than neighbouring

markets by around 30 per cent.

In the past, share prices in Thailand were 5 per cent cheaper.

However, whether the index will reach the target largely depends largely on how international hedge funds will take profits and how local politics will develop.

Meanwhile, BFIT Securities expects its share of the industry's brokerage fee income will be at around 4 per cent for the year.

In a bid to boost its customer base, the company plans to let customers trade all stocks with its credit balance account rather than only specific stocks as allowed currently.

Investors would earn 2.7 per cent on their accounts, while interest on margin loans goes as low as 5.75 per cent.

Siriporn     Chanjindamanee

The Nation