“Domestic demand continued to be the primary engine of growth, particularly in tourism-related activities during public and school holidays,” Malaysia’s chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said in a statement, noting that activity was supported by cash disbursements and an interest rate cut.
Malaysia’s growth unexpectedly accelerated in the third quarter, with the economy firing across all sectors and exports defying US President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs.
Gross domestic product rose 5.2% in the July-September period from a year earlier, according to advance estimates from Malaysia’s Department of Statistics on Friday. That’s faster than even the highest estimate in a Bloomberg survey, and exceeds the pace of expansion seen in the previous three quarters.
