FX.co ★ Malaysia Trade Surplus Widens in March

In March 2025, Malaysia reported a significant trade surplus of MYR 24.7 billion, which marked an increase from MYR 12.7 billion during the same month of the previous year. This figure notably exceeded market expectations predicting a surplus of MYR 13.8 billion. The driving factor behind this growth was a rise in exports coupled with a decline in imports. Exports surged by 6.8% year-on-year, reaching a three-month high of MYR 137.3 billion. This represented an acceleration from the 6.2% increase recorded in February and surpassed the anticipated growth rate of 3.3%. The boost in exports was largely attributed to strong performances in the manufacturing sector (8.9%) and agriculture (5.4%), although the mining and quarrying sector experienced a significant downturn (-16.6%). In contrast, imports decreased unexpectedly by 2.2%, amounting to MYR 112.59 billion, which failed to meet the forecasted rise of 2.3%. The decline was driven by reductions in the importation of capital goods (-19.2%) and intermediate goods (-0.6%). However, there was a 3.6% increase in the import of consumption goods. Throughout the first quarter of 2025, Malaysia maintained a trade surplus of MYR 41 billion, with exports and imports growing by 4.4% and 2.8%, respectively.