FX.co ★ Malaysia Leading Index Rises 0.2% in August

Malaysia's leading economic index rose 0.2% month-on-month in August 2026, easing from a revised 0.6% increase in July. The moderation was driven by declines in real imports of other basic precious and non-ferrous metals (-0.6% vs 0.1% in July), the number of approved housing units (-0.3% vs 0.04%), and real imports of semiconductors (-0.7% vs 0.4%). These weaknesses were partly offset by faster growth in the expected sales value of manufacturing (0.6% vs 0.1%) and stable growth in real money supply M1 (holding at 0.1%). On a yearly basis, the leading index rose 2.2%, picking up from a revised 1.5% in July. Meanwhile, the coincident index, which tracks current economic conditions, slipped 0.1% month-on-month, the same rate of decline as in July.