Malaysia's industrial production index rose 4.6 in April from a year earlier, supported by gains in all three major sectors, government data showed on Thursday.
Output growth in April was above the 3.7 percent annual rise forecast in a Reuters poll, and up from the 3.1 percent recorded in March. The index measures factory output from the manufacturing, electricity and mining sectors.
Growth in the electricity generation sector accelerated to 5.8 percent in April from a year earlier, according to data from the Statistics Department.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing and mining sectors grew 4.3 percent and 1.8 percent respectively, the data showed.
Malaysia's export growth beat expectations in April, rising 14 percent year-on-year, on higher shipments of manufactured goods.
A private manufacturing purchasing managers' index showed Malaysian factory activity shrank fell to an 11-month low in May, as new orders continued to decline.
- Reuters
