Malaysia factory output up 6.1% in July, beating forecasts

A worker conducting a quality check on rubber-gloves at the Top Glove rubber-glove factory in Klang, Selangor, on June 19, 2009. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) - Malaysia's industrial production in July expanded at its fastest pace in eight months, government data showed on Monday (Sept 11), boosted by gains in all three major sectors.

Factory output grew 6.1 per cent from a year earlier in July, the fastest since November 2016 and beating the 5.3 percent annual rise forecast in a Reuters poll.

Industrial output was up 4 per cent in June.

July's factory output was due to strength in the manufacturing, electricity and mining sectors, according to data from the Statistics Department.

Manufacturing output grew 8 per cent from a year earlier in July, boosted by growth in the food, tobacco, and electrical and electronic products subsectors, the data showed.

The electricity generation sector rose 7.9 per cent year-on-year, while mining output grew 0.2 per cent.

Malaysia's exports in July beat economists' estimates, rising 30.9 per cent from a year earlier, on higher shipments of manufactured products and mining goods.

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