Malaysia's Jan inflation lowest since 2009, but rate cut unlikely

Kuala Lumpur

ANNUAL inflation in Malaysia fell to a more than five-year low of one per cent in January as oil prices skidded, but economists do not expect the central bank to follow others and respond by cutting interest rates.

Central banks around the world have been taking advantage of easing inflation to cut rates to shore up flagging growth, but Malaysia's economy has defied sliding oil and commodity prices, growing much faster than expected in the fourth quarter.