Current account balance RM15b in Q1

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's balance of payments recorded a higher surplus of RM15.0 billion in current account for the first quarter of 2018, compared with RM13.9 billion in the fourth quarter last year (Q4 2017), said the Statistics Department.

Meanwhile, financial account recorded a net inflow of RM15.2 billion (Q4 2017: net inflow RM6.0 billion).
The higher surplus of RM15.0 billion in current account was largely supported by increase in goods account of RM35.7 billion (Q4 2017: surplus RM34.1 billion) and lower deficit in services account of RM5.8 billion (Q4 2017: deficit RM7.0 billion).
The financial account recorded a net inflow of RM15.2 billion (Q4 2017: net inflow RM6.0 billion). This was due to higher net inflow of direct investment at RM10.7 billion (Q4 2017: net inflow RM5.3 billion) and other investment at RM6.4 billion (Q4 2017: net outflow RM9.5 billion).
Direct investment abroad registered a turnaround to net outflow of RM1.3 billion in this quarter as against a net inflow of RM1.9 billion in last quarter. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment in Malaysia recorded a higher net inflow of RM12.0 billion (Q4 2017: net inflow RM3.4 billion).