BEIJING - China's stock investors are looking forward to positive signals from the forthcoming annual conferences of national legislators and political advisers to boost their confidence, pinning their hope on regulators' far-reaching reforms amid the slowing economic expansion.

A wide range of issues - including how to improve the capital market - is expected to be discussed during this year's sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which will start in the first week of March.

Investors in the stock market want to hear effective policy suggestions from the legislators and advisers to protect their interests, after suffering serious losses last year, analysts said.

The Shanghai Composite Index, which tracks China's biggest stock exchange, declined by more than 21 percent to 2199.43 last year. It was the third-largest drop in its history, following a 65 percent nosedive in 2008 and a 22.3 percent plunge in 1994.

On average, stock investors lost about 40,000 yuan ($6,350) last year, their worst experience in the post-financial-crisis era, according to a report from the National Bureau of Statistics.

"Top officials are designing long-term stimulation policies to stabilize the stock market, as its performance is related to millions of investors' profits," said Li Daokui, a policy adviser to China's central bank and director of the Center for China in the World Economy at Tsinghua University.

Investors expect top authorities will discuss whether big institutional investors, such as the National Council for Social Security Fund, will inject money into the gloomy market soon to support share prices.