Malaysia Dec factory output up 7.4% y-o-y, beats forecast

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's industrial production index in December rose 7.4 per cent from a year earlier, far exceeding market expectations, data from the Statistics Department showed on Tuesday.

A Reuters poll had forecast factory output grew 4.3 per cent, as sliding commodity prices may have slowed production.

Growth for December's factory output was underpinned by positive growth in the manufacturing, mining, and electricity sectors, the department said. For the fourth quarter, the index rose 5.8 per cent compared with a year earlier, and was up 4.7 per cent compared with the July-September period.

The index for November was revised upwards to 4.8 per cent from 4.7 per cent previously.

Exports for the month rose 2.7 per cent, bolstered by electrical and electronic products.

REUTERS