• Economy eased to 4.4% in 3Q18

• Surged in domestic demand was supported by private sector and public consumption

• Contraction in mining and agriculture sector led to slower GDP growth from production side

• Current account surplus narrowed to RM3.8bn in 3Q18

• Higher net inflow for FDI

• Moderate growth to continue in 4Q18

Malaysia’s economy expanded 4.4% yoy in 3Q18, following a 4.5% expansion 2Q18. It was the weakest growth rate since 3Q16, as net external demand contributed negatively to GDP growth, while investment, private consumption, and government spending continued to rise at a solid pace. Overall, GDP growth in 3Q18 was strongly supported by private sector spending which expanded further by 8.5% (2Q18: 7.5%) as private consumption increased strongly by 9.0% (2Q18: 8.0%) while public sector expenditure turned around to register a positive growth of 1.1% (2Q18: -1.4%). On the production side, growth was mainly affected by lingering commodity-specific supply shocks. Nevertheless, the impact on overall growth was mitigated by expansions in the other economic sectors, mainly the services, manufacturing and construction sectors which account for 82% of the economy. However, contraction in exports (3Q18: -0.8%; 2Q18: +2.0%) offset much stronger domestic demand. On a quarter-on-quarter seasonally-adjusted basis, the GDP grew by 1.6%, the strongest advance since 3Q17.

Source: BIMB Securities Research - 19 Nov 2018