Malaysia’s industrial production index expands 5.3 pct in July

Kuala lumpur: Malaysia's industrial production index (IPI) expanded by 5.3 percent year-on-year in July, driven by strong growth in the manufacturing sector output, official data showed Tuesday. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement that the manufacturing output rose 7.7 percent, while the electricity output grew 7 percent. Meanwhile, the mining sector declined by 5 percent. Both export-oriented and domestic-oriented industries performed favorably in July by recording 7.8 percent and 7.5 percent growths, respectively. In comparison with the preceding month, the IPI dropped by 1.5 percent from 4.8 percent growth in the previous month. For the first seven months this year, the IPI improved by 4.1 percent year on year, with all sectors posting increases, including the mining index by 2.9 percent, the manufacturing index by 4.1 percent and the electricity index by 7.1 percent. Source: The Namibia News Agency