BEIJING, March 19 -- Asian youth have intense interests in investment, stocks and other financial products, with those from Malaysia being the most active, according Japanese Economic News.

In its recent survey on the young people in 10 Asian countries (cities), the newspaper reported that more than half of the respondents have purchased financial products and 60 percent have made loans, mainly due to optimism about the economic outlook of the continent.

A total of 60 percent of the Malaysian young hold stocks and trust investments, the highest in Asia, and are closely followed by those from India and Singapore, with 52.5 percent and 50.5 percent respectively, the paper said.

In China, Thailand and the Philippines, more than 40 percent of the respondents buy financial products.

Less than 10 percent of the Japanese respondents have made loans, the lowest in Asia, as compared with the highest 60 percent in Malaysia.

However, most of the young people in Asia have the habit of savings. More than 90 percent respondents in Singapore and Thailand said having savings, and 82 percent in Japan. Some 78.5 percent of the Chinese young have the habit of saving, though they believe "savings not good as investment ".