Investment Opportunities Abound For International Fund Managers In Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- Investment opportunities abound for international fund managers in Malaysia and among public-listed companies in the country, given the strong growth fundamentals of the economy. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar said Malaysia’s financial system remained strong, robust and supportive of the economy. "The gross domestic product growth is estimated to be sustained at 5-5.5 per cent per annum in 2014 and 2015, while the liquidity in the banking system remains strong with a loan-deposit ratio of 85.8 per cent and fixed deposit receipt of 92.3 per cent as of June 2014. "Average inflation remains low, while foreign direct investments rose 24.6 per cent to US$12.04 billion (RM38.2 billion) from 2012, and direct investments in the first half of this year totalled US$5.42 billion (RM17.2 billion), he said in his keynote address at the Invest Malaysia 2014, co-organised by Maybank Kim Eng and Bursa Malaysia, in London Monday. The text of his speech was made available to Bernama here. The two-day Invest Malaysia London which ended Tuesday, drew participation from over 60 fund managers representing 48 fund manager companies with assets under management of over US$13.3 trillion. A total of 13 highly investable multinational companies listed on Bursa Malaysia were represented at the event. The World Bank has ranked Malaysia sixth in respect of the ease of doing business, up two notches from the eighth place in 2013. Malaysia was also ranked 12th by the Switzerland-based IMD, as one of the most competitive nations globally. The ranking also put Malaysia ahead of developed countries such as Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan and Germany. In the Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014, the World Economic Forum placed Malaysia in 14th spot among the 148 countries highlighted in it. -- BERNAMA