Economy grows 4.5% in first quarter

Malaysia's Economic Performance Chart. Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s economy performed above expectations in the first quarter of 2019 (1Q19) and the country’s foreign investments staged a strong improvement, amid elevated external challenges. However, despite these positive developments, more warnings signs on the economy have begun to crop up.

The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.5% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the first quarter, even as all economic sectors except agriculture recorded either a slower growth or a contraction. A poll by Bloomberg earlier among 22 economists expected a median GDP growth of 4.3% for the January-to-March period.