KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s exports fell 0.3% in September from a year earlier, well below market expectations, government data showed on Friday.

Exports had been expected to grow 7.6%, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

Imports in September grew 10.9% from a year earlier, data from the trade ministry showed, weaker than the 21.7% increase analysts had forecast in the poll.

Malaysia’s August exports rise 12.1% y/y, slightly above forecast

Malaysia recorded a trade surplus of 13.19 billion ringgit ($3.06 billion) in September, above the poll forecast of an 9.5 billion ringgit surplus.