The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) recorded investment income of RM18.31 billion, down 13 percent for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to RM20.99 billion recorded last year.
This investment income total included unrealized mark-to-market gains on securities of RM1.02 billion due to foreign exchange rate fluctuations.
EPF Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn said that global markets would be volatile in early 2025 due to the resurgence of trade tensions and policy uncertainty.
Zulqarnain Onn said that despite the United States (US) tariffs announced on April 2, US trade policy uncertainty had begun to impact major stock markets throughout the first quarter.
Zulqarnain Onn discussed the EPF’s diversified global portfolio helping to mitigate the impact and ensuring it remained on the right path to generate value in the long term.
During the quarter under review, investments in equities contributed RM10.81 billion, a 23 percent decline from RM14.02 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2024.
The decline was driven by weaker performance in the global equity market and a challenging investment environment.
Furthermore, EPF's domestic investments comprise 62 percent of total assets, providing long-term income stability through dividends, interest and sukuk profits.
EPF is committed to supporting Malaysia's economic growth by investing 70 percent of its annual allocation in the domestic market.
