KUALA LUMPUR- Malaysia’s exports in February rose 9.8 percent from a year earlier, surpassing expectations, government data showed on Monday.
February’s exports had been forecast to grow 4.5 percent, according to the median estimate by 13 economists polled by Reuters.
Imports in February rose 12.4 percent from a year earlier, data from the International Trade and Industry Ministry showed. Analysts had expected a 6.8 percent annual increase.
Malaysia recorded a trade surplus of 19.56 billion ringgit ($4.37 billion) in February.
Malaysia’s exports rose 1.6 percent from a year earlier in January, slower than expected, government data showed on Monday.
January’s exports had been forecast to expand 7.4 percent, according to 10 economists surveyed by Reuters.
Imports in January grew 2.3 percent from a year earlier, data from the International Trade and Industry Ministry showed. Analysts were expecting an annual increase of 10.1 percent.
Malaysia recorded a trade surplus of 18.16 billion ringgit ($4.10 billion) in January, narrowing from a revised surplus figure of 28.14 billion ringgit the previous month.
Malaysia’s economy in the fourth quarter grew 7 percent from a year earlier on continued expansion in domestic demand and resilient demand for electrical and electronics goods, Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus said on Friday.
Gross domestic product (GDP) for all of 2022 had been 8.7 percent higher than in 2021, she said.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected the central bank to report October-December GDP 6.6 percent higher than in the same period of 2021, slowing from the 14.2 percent annual growth seen in the third quarter. — Reuters
