Malaysia Sept factory output up 4.7% y-o-y, misses forecast

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's industrial production in September expanded at a pace well below expectations, as growth slowed across all sectors.

Factory output grew 4.7 per cent from a year earlier in September, below the 6.1 per cent annual rise forecast in a Reuters poll.

Industrial output was up 6.8 per cent in August.

Manufacturing output grew by only 5.7 per cent year on year in September, compared to a growth of 7.6 per cent in August, according to data from the Statistics Department.

Growth slowed across all sub-sectors like petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products, electrical and electronic products and food, beverages and tobacco products.

The electricity generation sector rose 2.2 per cent year-on-year, while mining output grew 2.1 per cent.

Malaysia's exports in September rose 14.8 per cent from a year earlier, slowing in pace for the second month in a row, despite strong demand for manufactured goods in China and Europe.

REUTERS