KL trade surplus widens as import growth slows

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA posted a sluggish 2 per cent year-on-year rise in export growth in September, underlining the central bank's recent remarks about the uneven pace of growth in advanced economies.

Nevertheless, a compression in import growth (1.1 per cent from 7.6 per cent in August) caused the trade surplus to widen sharply to RM9.3 billion (S$3.6 billion) from RM3.9 billion in August.

According to data released by the Department of Statistics on Friday, the export growth was led by palm oil (17.8 per cent), electronics (5.3 per cent), chemicals (3.5…