Factory output growth faster-than-expected

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s industrial production index rose faster than expected in December, increasing 3.4 per cent from a year earlier, government data showed yesterday.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast December’s year-onyear output growth to come in at 2.8 per cent.

The pace was also faster than November’s output growth, which was initially recorded at 2.5 per cent but later revised to 2.6 per cent.

The Statistics Department did not provide a reason for the revision.

The index measures factory output from the manufacturing, electricity generation and mining sectors.

Growth in December was supported by gains in all three sectors, data from the department showed.

Manufacturing output rose 4.4 per cent year-on-year in December, while the electricity generation sectoral index grew 2.7 per cent.

Mining output shed the previous month’s loss to gain one per cent in December from a year earlier, the data showed.

INFO BOX 3.4pc IPI year-on-year growth in December