-- Malaysia's total trade in goods rose 9.3% annually to about 273 billion ringgit in March as both exports and imports grew during the month, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said Monday.
Exports increased 8.3% year on year to 148.8 billion ringgit. Re-exports and domestic exports helped prop up the indicator during the month, the department said.
However, the conflict between the U.S. and Iran could drag Malaysian exports due to global supply chain disruptions, Dow Jones reported the same day.
Imports rose 10.4% to 124.2 billion ringgit, according to the department.
A poll by Wall Street expected exports to rise 14% and imports to grow 13.9%, Dow Jones reported.
As a result, the trade surplus stood at 24.6 billion ringgit, slightly lower by 215.5 million ringgit compared with a year earlier.
Analysts polled by Wall Street forecast the trade surplus to reach 25.9 billion ringgit.
Manufactured goods exports accounted for 88% of total exports. The indicator rose 9.6% year over year to 130.8 billion ringgit.