Nation's stocks to gain more influence

Global index compiler MSCI Inc has announced that it will increase the weighting of China's A shares in its benchmarks this year. The move is seen as the latest progress in the country's accelerated capital market opening-up.

MSCI said it will increase the inclusion factor of A shares and add new A-share constituents in its indexes in three steps this year, a statement on its website said late on Thursday. It will raise A shares' weighting in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index to 3.3 percent from 0.7 percent by November.

"MSCI's decision marks a new step in China's capital market opening-up, showing that efforts to improve market accessibility have been recognized by global investors," said Zhang Yu, chief macroeconomic analyst with Hua Chuang Securities, based in Guiyang, Guizhou province.