ZCZC
BCN-34
MALAYSIA-ECONOMY-INDICATOR
Malaysian economy seen to moderate in next 4 to 6 months
KUALA LUMPUR, July 23, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – The Malaysian economy is
expected to expand at a slower rate in the next four to six months ahead, the
statistics department Monday said based on the performance of Malaysian
economic indicators in May.
The department said in a statement that the monthly change of leading
index (LI) showed a negative growth of 1.1 percent to 117.8 points in May
from 119.1 points as recorded in April.
This was mainly due to the 0.5-percent decrease in the number of new
companies registered, it added.
The annual change of LI also registered a decrease of 0.7 percent in the
same month as against 1.4 percent in April, it said.
The LI indicators are designed to observe the economic performance in the
short term.
Meanwhile, the coincident index (CI) which reflects the current economic
activity, improved in May, as it posted a growth of 0.3 percent in the
reference month, according to the statement.
The volume index of retail trade (0.5 percent) and real salaries and wages
in manufacturing sector (0.2 percent) were the components that accounted for
the increase.
The annual change of CI also rose 2.2 percent in May.
The diffusion index for CI remained at 66.7 percent since January, but the
level of diffusion index for LI was below 50 percent (14.3 percent).
BSS/XINHUA/HR/1450