Malaysia Trade Surplus Rises In September

(RTTNews) - Malaysia's foreign trade surplus increased in September from a year ago as import growth slowed sharply and exports grew strongly, the statistical office reported on Wednesday.

The trade surplus rose to a record high of MYR 31.711 billion in September from MYR 26.232 billion in the corresponding month last year.

In August, the trade balance showed a surplus of MYR 17.037 billion.

Exports climbed 30.1 percent year-over-year in September, after a 48.1 percent growth in August. The increase was driven both by domestic and re-exports.

Meanwhile, the annual growth in imports eased sharply to a five-month low of 33.0 percent in September from 67.3 percent in the previous month.

On a monthly basis, both exports and imports decreased by a seasonally adjusted 3.1 percent and 7.6 percent, respectively.