KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s exports grew at a faster pace in April than the month before, thanks to a rise in electrical and electronics shipments, official figures showed Friday.
But the results missed expectations as a fall in exports of liquefied natural gas and crude oil continued to weigh on overall shipments.
Malaysia’s April exports climbed 1.6% from a year earlier, missing the 2.0% growth expected by nine economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. In March, exports grew 0.2%, according to a statement from the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
Imports declined 2.3% in April from a year earlier. The economists had predicted a 0.5% increase. Imports were down year over year mainly because of a decline in imports of intermediate goods and capital goods. Imports in March were down 5.5%.
The trade surplus narrowed to 9.1 billion ringgit ($2.19 billion) in April from 11.2 billion ringgit the previous month. Economists had expected a trade surplus of 8.1 billion ringgit.
