Malaysia's external trade down 19.8% in August

Economist Manokaran Mottain said that Malaysia’s sluggish trade performance in August was not alarming, considering that the growth in major economies globally has been trending down.

PETALING JAYA: An economist has urged the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) to explain its next course of action as Malaysia’s total trade continues to be in a downward trend for about a year.

Geoffrey Williams, an economics professor at the Malaysia University of Science and Technology, raised concerns about the poor trade outlook, considering that trade is a major contributor to economic growth.