Malaysia's surplus higher

Malaysia's surplus higher

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's current account posted a surplus of 29 billion ringgit (US$7.6 billion) in the nine months to September, from a deficit of 12.2 billion ringgit a year earlier, a report said Saturday.

The surplus far exceeded estimates of 20 billion ringgit for the first three quarters of the calendar year.

"If the trend continues in the final quarter, there is a strong possibility the figure for the whole of 1998 is most likely to be in the region of 40 billion ringgit," The New Straits Times said, citing a statement from the finance ministry.

Malaysia's trade surplus stood at 44.5 billion ringgit in the 10 months to October, reversing a deficit of 1.7 billion ringgit a year earlier.