Malaysia's August exports rise 45.5% y/y, above forecast

Malaysia's shipments abroad climbed 45.5% from a year earlier in August, according to government data released on Friday. The rise beat expectations, as a Reuters poll of 14 economists had projected growth of 37.9%. Imports also increased sharply, rising 41.1% on the year, based on figures from the statistics department.

The trade surplus for August reached 28.1 billion ringgit ($6.89 billion), comfortably above the 25 billion ringgit a poll had predicted. Business Recorder attributed the figures to official data, and both exports and the trade balance came in above the forecasts cited in the report. Export growth was therefore the headline number in the release, running ahead of the poll estimate.

The data covers August only, so the report offers a single monthly reading rather than a trend. Business Recorder's account includes no company-level details, and none of the figures refers to a listed Pakistani firm.