FX.co ★ Malaysia Leading Index Falls for 3rd Month

Malaysia's leading economic index slipped 0.1% month-on-month in March 2026, after a 0.3% decline in February, marking the third consecutive monthly decrease. The latest drop was driven by lower real imports of semiconductors (-0.9% vs -0.8% previously) and a fall in the number of newly registered companies (-0.1% vs -0.6%). In contrast, there were gains in real money supply M1 (0.3% vs 0.6%), the Bursa Malaysia Industrial Index (0.02% vs 0.2%), and real imports of other basic precious and non-ferrous metals (0.3% vs 0.5%). The number of housing units approved also returned to growth (0.3% vs -0.2%). On a yearly basis, the leading index increased 0.5%, slowing from an upwardly revised 0.8% in February. Meanwhile, the coincident index, which tracks current economic conditions, rose 0.8% month-on-month, recovering from a 1.4% contraction in the previous month.