Malaysia's industrial production growth eases unexpectedly at the start of the year

Malaysia's industrial production in January rose 3.5 percent from a year earlier, slowing in pace for the second month in a row, government data showed on Monday. Data missed forecasts for 5.7 percent rise and was also lower than 4.7 percent increase in the previous month.

Strength in the manufacturing, mining, and electricity sectors supported expansion, data from the Statistics Department showed. Manufacturing output rose 4.6 percent year-on-year, helped by strong growth in the food and electronic products sub-sectors.

Separate report showed Malaysia's exports in January expanded at its fastest pace in more than a year. The manufacturing sales value rose notably by 10.7 percent in January from a year ago. Strong demand for commodities and manufactured goods likely supported the rise.

A private manufacturing purchasing managers' index showed Malaysian factory activity contracting again in February, but at its softest pace since May 2015 as output rose for the first time in nearly two years.