CPFIS-included funds up 5.1% in Q1

Whilst unit trusts posted a 5.2% growth.

Funds included under the Central Provident Fund Investment Scheme (CPFIS) grew 5.1% in the past quarter, Thomson Reuters Lipper revealed.

This came as CPFIS-included unit trusts increased 5.2% and CPFIS-included investment-linked insurance products (ILPs) rose 5.04%.

For all CPFIS-included funds, equities posted positive returns of 6.44%, mixed-asset 4.1%, bonds 1.27% and money market funds 0.19%. During the same period, MSCI AC Asia ex-Japan index rallied 9.68% while Citigroup WGBI TR fell 1.78%.

Thomson Reuters Lipper Asia Pacific research head Xav Feng urged investors to sift through copious amounts of data and news to identify solid investment opportunities and to maintain a diversified portfolio.

"On a macro-level, reflation is a key global trend and growth expectations are gradually on the rise, while geopolitical tensions continue to impact financial markets. With the US becoming more of a driver of policy uncertainty than a stabiliser, China and emerging markets are gaining significant traction," Feng noted.