Malaysia's trade surplus widens 16.6% in 2014

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA'S export growth rose to 2.7 per cent in December from a year ago, as its monthly trade surplus shrank to 9.2 billion ringgit (S$3.5 billion), government data showed on Thursday, as the South-east Asian economy was hit by falling world prices for its oil, gas and commodity exports.

For the full year, Malaysia posted a surplus of 83.11 billion ringgit, up 16.6 per cent from 2013, with higher demand for manufactured products helping exports grow 6.4 per cent in 2014, while imports rose 5.4 per cent.