Malaysia Q1 manufacturing investments dive (ext: BT)

INVESTMENTS in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector fell sharply in the first three months of the year, according to data released by the country’s trade ministry.

“In January until March 2009, a total of 194 projects in the manufacturing sector were approved with investments worth RM7.5 billion or US$2.12 billion,” the country’s International Trade Minister, Mustapa Mohamed, said today.

This was a 67.1 per cent fall from the first quarter of 2008 when RM22.7 billion worth of manufacturing investments were approved, according to a research note by investment bank CIMB.