Malaysia's Nov exports up 5.7%

MALAYSIAN exports in November rose 5.7 per cent from a year ago, less than half the rate logged in October, as tech demand slowed, official data showed today.But the growth rate beat market forecasts for a 4.8 per cent annual rise. Exports were supported by strong demand for palm oil and crude oil while sales of electronics fell.ASEAN countries and China underpinned demand while sales to the United States and the European Union fell.Exports were 14.2 per cent higher in October than a year ago, which was the quickest pace of expansion since an 18.4 per cent annual growth in November 2006.Imports, about three quarters of which are used to make exports, grew 3.9 per cent in November than a year ago, disappointing economists’s expectations for a 6.8 per cent rise.The trade surplus widened to RM10.4 billion (US$3.17 billion) from RM9.2 billion a year earlier. Economists had forecast a surplus of RM9.1 billion. - Reuters