Malaysian bourse eyes value-boosting plan to lure global investors

KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian bourse is mulling over a plan to improve valuations of local companies as it seeks to lure global investors amid similar programmes from regional peers.

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Bursa Malaysia is considering a "formalised framework" where companies may be given targets on metrics such as price-to-earnings ratio, return on equity and free float, chief executive Muhamad Umar Swift said last week. Malaysia is among a growing number of countries in Asia - including Japan, South Korea and China - looking to drive shareholder returns through corporate reforms and lift depressed valuations in efforts to attract more foreigners. This comes amid a listing boom and renewed optimism in local shares as investments pour into the country's data centre sector.