Malaysia's Jan factory output up 3.2% year on year, above forecast

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's January industrial production rose 3.2 per cent from a year earlier due to growth in its manufacturing, mining and electricity sectors, government data showed on Friday.

The figure was above the 2.1 per cent rise forecast in a Reuters poll.

Year-on-year, manufacturing output grew 3.9 per cent in January, after registering a growth of 4.0 per cent in December 2015, data from the Statistics Department showed.

Annual output growth in December had exceeded expectations at 2.7 per cent, supported by gains in manufacturing and electricity production.

However, Malaysia's January exports fell for the first time in eight months, declining 2.8 per cent from a year earlier.

A private manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) showed Malaysian factory activity contracted for the 11th straight month in February.

REUTERS