Foreign Investors Record US$16.8 Bln Outflow Across Eight Asian Markets Last Week
KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 16 (Bernama) -- Foreign investors extended a four-week streak of net selling across eight Asian markets, with net outflows totalling US$16.8 billion, according to MBSB Investment Bank Bhd.
Vietnam was the only country to receive net foreign inflows, while net selling was led by Taiwan, MBSB said in its Fund Flow Report for the week ended 13 March 2026.
Vietnam ended a two-week streak of net selling, recording US$46.4 million in net foreign inflows as authorities moved swiftly to shield the economy from global oil price volatility by deploying a mix of fiscal, regulatory and supply-side measures to stabilise domestic fuel prices.
“The government utilised the fuel price stabilisation fund, reduced preferential gasoline import taxes to zero per cent, and mobilised around four million barrels of oil to reinforce short-term supply,” the bank said.
It said Taiwan extended its net foreign selling streak to two weeks, recording US$6.99 billion in outflows, the largest in the region, as its trade surplus widened to US$12.77 billion in February 2026 (February 2025: US$6.63 billion) but came in below market expectations, marking the smallest surplus since September 2025.
On Bursa Malaysia, foreign investors reverted to net selling after the previous week of net buying, recording RM725.6 million in net foreign outflows.
“Foreign investors were net sellers on all five trading days during the week, with the largest outflow recorded on Friday (RM315.8 million), followed by Monday (RM168.5 million), Thursday (RM138.2 million), Tuesday (RM100.5 million) and Wednesday (RM2.6 million),” the report said.
The top three sectors that recorded net foreign inflows were plantation (RM118.6 million), transportation and logistics (RM95.8 million), and real estate investment trusts (RM46.0 million).
Outflows were concentrated in financial services (RM488.0 million), telecommunication and media (RM147.2 million), and property (RM121.4 million).
Local institutions recorded a net inflow of RM621.1 million, ending a five-week streak of net selling, while local retailers recorded net inflows of RM104.5 million, reverting to net buying after the previous week of outflows.
Average daily trading volume saw a broad-based incline: local retailers by 3.4 per cent, local institutions 1.0 per cent, and foreign investors 7.4 per cent.
-- BERNAMA