Malaysia's August industrial output shrinks

Malaysia's industrial output in August declined for the first time since last July due to weak demand in the manufacturing sector, data released by the statistics department on Thursday showed. The industrial production index shrank by 0.7 percent year-on- year. The main component of the index, manufacturing output, decreased by 1.8 percent as mining and electricity output for the month recorded gains by 1.6 and 2.7 percent respectively. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, the industrial production index in August declined marginally by 0.1 percent, caused by the reduction in manufacturing and electricity output by 3.1 and 1.8 percent respectively.