Malaysia experienced a deceleration in industrial output growth during August, marking the first slowdown in three months, according to data released by the Department of Statistics on Friday.
In August, industrial production increased by 4.1% year-on-year, compared to a more robust 5.3% rise in the previous month. Analysts had anticipated a modest improvement to 5.4%.
Breaking it down by sectors, manufacturing production growth eased to 6.5%, down from July's 7.7%. Likewise, electricity production rose at a reduced rate of 4.1%, following a 7.0% increase in the prior month.
Conversely, the decline in mining output intensified, with production decreasing by 6.4%, worsening from a 5.0% fall in July.
On a month-over-month basis, industrial production saw a recovery, growing by 1.7% after a 1.5% decline in July.
In a separate report, annual retail sales growth also showed signs of slowing, decreasing to 5.9% in August from 6.4% in July. Sales at non-specialized stores increased by 7.8%, while sales of other goods in specialized stores went up by 5.8%.
