KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — Malaysia’s Leading Index (LI) grew 1.1 per cent year-on-year in July 2026 to 115.3 points from 114.0 points in the same month last year, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The department said the increase was mainly driven by real imports of other basic precious and other non-ferrous metals, which rose 24.1 per cent, and real imports of semiconductors, which increased 17.4 per cent. “Nonetheless, the overall performance softened slightly due to more moderate activity in several components, particularly the number of new companies registered,” it said in a statement today.
On a monthly basis, the LI increased 0.3 per cent, supported by real money supply (M1) and real imports of semiconductors, with each contributing 0.1 per cent.
DOSM said although the smoothed long-term trend of the LI remained below 100.0 points, the domestic economic outlook is expected to remain resilient, strongly supported by a stable domestic labour market with a consistently low unemployment rate. “Furthermore, the influx of high-impact investments in high-tech sectors, alongside sustained global demand for the semiconductor ecosystem and electrical and electronics (E&E) products, serves as primary buffers to maintain Malaysia’s economic stability against external market uncertainties,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Coincident Index (CI), which reflects current economic developments, rose 1.7 per cent year-on-year to 131.5 points in July 2026 from 129.3 points in July 2025.
The growth was supported by a 5.8 per cent rise in real Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributions, followed by a 4.5 per cent increase in the Industrial Production Index.
On a monthly basis, however, the CI edged down 0.1 per cent, attributed to a 0.2 per cent decline in both real EPF contributions and capacity utilisation in manufacturing. — Bernama
