Malaysia economy likely returned to growth in Q4, Omicron a threat

The Malaysian economy benefited from higher commodity prices and robust demand for semiconductors amid a global shortage of chips, which power everything from cars to remote work equipment.

BENGALURU: Malaysia's economy likely bounced back to growth in the final quarter of 2021, propelled by strong exports and private investments, but the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant poses a threat to the outlook, a Reuters poll found.

Growth in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy rebounded last quarter to 3.3% year-on-year after shrinking 4.5% in the July-September period, according to the median forecast of 20 economists polled Feb. 3-8.