The Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) investment income is at RM11.79 billion in the first quarter thanks to significant improvements in the domestic and global markets.
The quarter, which ended March 2017, revealed that this was a 73.9% jump over the investment income of RM6.78% billion over the same period a year ago.
Despite the improvement, EPF chief executive officer Shahril Ridza Ridzuan remains cautious moving forward as recovery in commodity prices remains weak with continued currency volatility.
Equity, which makes up 41.7% of the EPF’s total investment assets, rose 178.6% to contribute RM7.1 billion or 60.2% of its 1QFY17 total investment income, from RM2.55 billion a year ago, The Edge reported.
The Q1 2017 report also stated that recovery in the banking sector resulted in a 30% contribution to the trading and dividend income of the portfolio.
As at March 2017, EPF had invested 49.08% in fixed-income instruments that recorded an income of RM4.07 billion, equivalent to 34.6% of its quarterly investment income.
Income from Malaysian government securities and equivalent in the first quarter of 2017 increased by 3.67%, or RM68.56 million, to RM1.94 billion from RM1.87 billion the previous year.
