KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Bursa Malaysia Bhd (Bursa Malaysia) and the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to share macroeconomic data in order to identify key trends and insights for the development of the capital market.
Under the MoU, Bursa Malaysia would share stock market data such as the daily and monthly transactions of shares, summaries of indices and sectors according to markets, market participation and the annual reports of public-listed companies.
Bursa Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Muhamad Umar Swift said the collaboration allows the parties to work on specific objectives and create a single source of data for better decision-making.
“At the moment, depending on who you ask in the market, you will get a different point of view.
“It is our aspiration that whoever looks at the data will only see one figure, one set of data. Because if you have two different sets of data, you end up with inefficiency,” he said to reporters at the MoU signing ceremony here today.
Umar said among other things, the data shared with DoSM would give the department an overview of investors’ behaviour, as well as enable strategic decision-making on a global or macro basis for Malaysia’s economy, which would not only strengthen the capital market but also assist in nation-building.
He also reassured the investing public that individual participants’ trading data is not part of this agreement and would not be made public.
Meanwhile, chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the MoU is an initiative to strengthen DoSM’s governance in delivering a comprehensive and wide range of statistical services.
He said the department would provide data on national accounting, economic indicators, inflation, trade, the balance of payment, labour, household incomes and expenditure, as well as social and environmental information.
“Bursa Malaysia’s data is vital because it contributes to the Leading Index, which is a predictive tool used to anticipate economic upturns and downturns on an average of four to six months ahead.
“This index is published monthly and widely used by economic analysts to make future economic forecasts,” he said.
— Bernama
