Surprise rise in Malaysia's Nov exports; trade surplus at 3-year high

Kuala Lumpur

MALAYSIA'S exports in November rose unexpectedly, dodging the impact from tumbling world oil prices and providing a brief respite for the sliding ringgit.

The South-east Asian exporter is grappling with sliding prices for energy and commodities as growth slows in Europe and China. There are concerns the government will miss its budget deficit target of 3 per cent of GDP this year, which will add pressure on its sovereign ratings.