First American Scientific Corp. (fka FASC)

[Jagman]

Malaysia's Trade Surplus Soars in June
Wednesday August 3, 2:28 am ET
Malaysia's Trade Surplus Soars Nearly 50 Percent On-Year in June

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysia's trade surplus surged nearly 50 percent in June compared to the same month last year, buoyed by electronic exports, the government said Wednesday.
Total exports in June rose 11.7 percent on-year to 44.52 billion ringgit (US$11.9 billion; euro9.9 billion), the Ministry of International Trade and Industry said in a statement.

Imports, meanwhile, grew at a slower pace of 6 percent from June 2004 to 36.78 billion ringgit (US$9.8 billion; euro8.2 billion).

As a result, Malaysia's trade surplus ballooned to 7.74 billion ringgit (US$2.1 billion; euro1.7 billion), up 49.6 percent on-year and marking the country's 92nd consecutive monthly surplus, the ministry said.

The strong showing was attributed partly to robust shipments of electrical and electronic product exports, which increased 11.6 percent on-year in June to 22.85 billion ringgit (US$6.0 billion; euro4.9 billion).

Intel Corp., Motorola Inc. and Dell Inc. are among major companies with factories in Malaysia. Trade to the United States, Malaysia's No. 1 trading partner, rose 22 percent on-year in June, also partly due to stronger electrical and electronics exports, the trade ministry said.