KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Malaysia’s leading index (LI) maintained its positive annual growth at a rate of 0.5 per cent, registering 113.6 points this April versus 113 points in April last year, according to the Statistics Department (DOSM).
The LI is used to provide an early indication of turning points in the business cycle and the direction of the economy in the near term.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said double-digit increases in the real imports of semiconductors (27.2 per cent) and the number of new companies registered (24.1 per cent) contributed to this improvement, despite declines in four other components.
“The monthly performance of the LI recorded an increase for the second consecutive month with 0.8 per cent, supported by a 0.5 per cent rise in the number of new companies registered,” he said in a statement today.
The DOSM said the smoothed growth rate of the LI for April remained below 100 points, reflecting Malaysia’s resilient economic prospects supported by a positive labour market and sustained domestic demand.
“These fundamentals are further strengthened by improving household spending and encouraging consumption patterns,” it added.
Regarding the current economic performance, DOSM said the coincident index (CI) posted an annual uptrend of 1 per cent, reaching 126.7 points in April against 125.4 points in April 2024, driven by the improvements in five out of six components, particularly the capacity utilisation in manufacturing (3.4 per cent).
“Conversely, on a monthly basis, the CI slipped by 0.1 per cent due to the declines in the real contributions to the Employees Provident Fund (-0.5 per cent) and the volume index of retail trade (-0.4 per cent),” it added.
— Bernama
