Bracing for lower GDP

PETALING JAYA: Persistently negative growth in Malaysia’s total trade for the past two months signals a looming economic challenge, heightening concerns the country’s third quarter (3Q23) gross domestic product (GDP) growth may fall below expectations.

Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd chief economist Firdaos Rosli pointed out that Malaysia’s total trade has been on a decline since mid-3Q22, and the trend continued to August 2023.