Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund, Kuala Lumpur, reported investment assets of 667.2 billion ringgit ($176.4 billion) as of the June 30 close of its second quarter, up 0.5% from the prior quarter and up 8.9% from the year before.
A news release on the fund's website pegged investment returns for the quarter at 11.41 billion ringgit.
The EPF's 43% allocation to equities accounted for 61% of total returns, or roughly 7 billion ringgit.
The fund's 51% allocation to fixed income, spanning Malaysian government securities, loans and bonds, and money market instruments, delivered investment returns of 4 billion ringgit, or 35% of the total, with real estate and infrastructure, at 3% of total assets, accounting for 4% of returns.
An EPF spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for details regarding where the remaining 3% of the fund's portfolio was allocated.
CEO Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan said in the news release that the U.S. dollar's appreciation has supported the fund's returns year to date.
The news release said “global investments” came to 25% of the portfolio as of June 30, up from 22% a year before, and accounted for more than 40% of the fund's investment returns for the latest quarter.
Over the three months ended June 30, the dollar appreciated roughly 1.4%, ending the period at 3.77 ringgit. For the first six months of the year, the U.S. currency strengthened by just less than 8%.
With the dollar now trading at roughly 4.17 ringgit, it has appreciated another 10% since the start of the third quarter.
Even so, Mr. Shahril pointed to China's economic slowdown and an anticipated interest rate hike in the U.S. as factors that could make it difficult for the EPF to maintain the “momentum” it had enjoyed during the first half of the year.
