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[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia’s exports declined for the ninth straight month in November, sliding 5.9 per cent year on year to RM122.1 billion (S$34.7 billion), according to Department of Statistics Malaysia data on Tuesday (Dec 19).

The fall was steeper than October’s 4.5 per cent contraction and worse than the 5.2 per cent decline predicted by 14 economists in a Reuters poll.

Malaysia’s exports have been declining since March due to a high base effect and slower external demand.

Imports, however, rose 1.7 per cent year on year in November to RM109.7 billion, beating the economists’ projection of a 0.8 per cent decline.

Total trade shrank 2.4 per cent to RM231.8 billion in November, down from RM239.5 billion in October.

Economists are taking a cautiously optimistic view on the rebound of exports next year, anticipating that an improved Chinese economy and the bottoming out of the global tech sector will give a boost to Malaysia’s exports.

Source: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/asean/malaysias-exports-fall-ninth-consecutive-month-november