After weeks of seeing net outflows of institutional funds, selected Singapore Exchange (SGX)-listed REITs appear to have turned the tide for the trading week that commenced on 17 March.
During the trading week, institutional investors directed substantial inflows into these handful of REITs that included CapitaLand Ascendas REIT and Mapletree Logistics Trust.
Related: CapitaLand's flagship REIT emerges as top pick among institutional investors
The former led institutional buying with net inflows of SGD42.7 million, reflecting strong institutional confidence in its industrial and business space portfolio.
Following closely, Mapletree Logistics Trust attracted SGD17.1 million in institutional net buys, underscoring demand for logistics and warehouse assets amid global supply chain resilience trends.
Parkway Life REIT also saw modest institutional accumulation with SGD9.4 million in net purchases, likely attracted by the REIT’s stable healthcare-related property holdings.
| Top 10 Institution Net Buy (+) Stocks (SGD M) | Week of 17 March 2025 | Top 10 Institution Net Sell (-) Stocks (SGD M) | Week of 17 March 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yangzijiang Shipbuilding | 45.1 | DBS | (79.5) |
| CapitaLand Ascendas REIT | 42.7 | CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust | (29.3) |
| Sembcorp Industries | 18.7 | Singtel | (20.7) |
| Mapletree Logistics Trust | 17.1 | OCBC | (20.1) |
| SIA | 14.7 | Hongkong Land | (9.5) |
| ST Engineering | 14.7 | iFast Corporation | (6.6) |
| Jardine Matheson | 14.4 | SATS | (6.3) |
| Yangzijiang Financial | 10.1 | CapitaLand Ascott Trust | (4.3) |
| Keppel | 9.4 | Keppel DC REIT | (3.7) |
| Parkway Life REIT | 9.4 | Rex International | (3.6) |
On the institutional sell side, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust faced significant outflows of SGD29.3 million, potentially due to profit-taking or sector rotation away from retail and office exposure.
CapitaLand Ascott Trust and Keppel DC REIT recorded smaller institutional net sell-offs of SGD4.3 million and SGD3.7 million, respectively, signaling sustained caution toward hospitality and data centre segments.
Meanwhile, retail investors displayed divergent behavior.
CapitaLand Ascott Trust, despite institutional selling, saw retail net buys of SGD6.3 million, suggesting retail optimism about its serviced residence portfolio.
CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust, though heavily sold by institutions, attracted SGD2.1 million in retail inflows, highlighting retail investors’ bullish stance on retail and office spaces during the week.
No REITs appeared in the list of top 10 SGX-listed stocks sold by retail investors during the week, indicating retail investors either held or accumulated positions in these securities.
| Top 10 Retail Net Buy (+) Stocks (SGD M) | Week of 17 March 2025 | Top 10 Retail Net Sell (-) Stocks (SGD M) | Week of 17 March 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| iFast Corporation | 15.7 | Keppel | (36.1) |
| OCBC | 7.8 | Singtel | (33.3) |
| CapitaLand Ascott Trust | 6.3 | UOB | (31.0) |
| SATS | 5.0 | Genting Singapore | (22.5) |
| Rex International | 4.6 | DBS | (19.8) |
| City Developments | 3.5 | Yangzijiang Financial | (18.1) |
| Top Glove | 3.4 | SIA | (17.8) |
| CapitaLand Investment | 3.2 | Yangzijiang Shipbuilding | (17.6) |
| Yanlord Land | 2.5 | Sembcorp Industries | (12.7) |
| CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust | 2.1 | ST Engineering | (8.5) |
Overall for the week, institutional activity shifted markedly from a net sell of SGD359.8 million the prior week to a net buy of SGD67.2 million, signaling renewed institutional participation in the stock market over the period.
Retail investors reversed sharply from a net buy of SGD513.5 million to a net sell of SGD233.6 million, reflecting profit-taking or risk aversion.
CapitaLand Ascendas REIT was last done on the Singapore Exchange at SGD2.64, which presently implies a distribution yield of 5.76% according to data on the Singapore REITs table.