Anchoring the improved outlook is domestic demand. Income growth indicators and policy measures such as cash handouts, along with tourism sector growth point to resilient consumption spending, said analysts Suhaimi Ilias and Azril Rosli of Maybank in a note Sunday.
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 16): Malaysia’s much better-than-expected growth last quarter has prompted a flurry of analyst upgrades to their forecasts for this year, with some predicting the Southeast Asian nation will once again outperform official projections.
Maybank Investment Bank Bhd, MBSB Investment Bank Bhd and RHB Bank Bhd (KL:RHBBANK) expect Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth to exceed the government’s 4% to 4.5% forecast for 2026, while CIMB Bank Bhd and Oversea Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) raised their estimates to the upper end of the range. Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd sees “upside potential towards 5.0% if current momentum holds”.
