Nevertheless, the actual risk of exclusion is low, they add.
“It is unlikely that Malaysia will be removed from FTSE Russell’s WGBI given the positive discussions between FTSE Russell and the regulatory authorities, along with the ongoing effort by Bank Negara Malaysia to provide better market access for foreign investors,” senior economist Wong Khai Jhek of RAM Rating Services Bhd tells The Edge.
“That said, should FTSE Russell decide that more time is needed to assess the efficacies of some of the more recent liberalisation initiatives, there is still a possibility that it might decide to keep Malaysia on its watch list, albeit the probability is certainly lower than before,” he adds.