KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s manufacturing sector returned to expansion in March, with the S&P Global Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising to 50.7 from 49.3 in February. The latest reading marks the strongest improvement in nearly four years and the fourth expansion in the past five months. S&P Global Market Intelligence economist Maryam Baluch said the latest PMI data revealed a fresh improvement in the health of Malaysia’s manufacturing sector, driven by renewed growth in both output and employment. S&P Global said the latest PMI data points to Malaysia’s GDP growing about 5.5% year-on-year, based on its historical correlation with official economic data. “Concurrently, international demand for Malaysian goods softened for the first time in three months, albeit only slightly,” S&P said.

Source: The Star April 01, 2026 15:39 UTC