Kuala lumpur: Malaysia’s Leading Index (LI) annual growth rate saw a marginal 0.2 per cent decline in June 2025, at 113.4 points compared with 113.6 points a year ago, according to the Statistics Department Malaysia (DOSM). The LI provides an early indication of turning points in the business cycle and the near-term direction of the economy.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the decline reflected weaknesses in four out of seven components, with the most notable drop being a 27.4 per cent fall in the real imports of other basic precious and other non-ferrous metals. “On a month-on-month basis, the LI also declined by 0.5 per cent, affected by decreases in the real imports of other basic precious and other non-ferrous metals (-1.0 per cent) and the real imports of semi-conductors (-0.5 per cent),” he stated in a statement today.

DOSM mentioned that the smoothed growth rate of the LI for June 2025 remained below 100.0 points, which is anticipated to indicate easing economic momentum. “The outlook is supported by a strong domestic foundation but weighed down by external challenges,” said DOSM.

Meanwhile, the coincident index (CI), which reflects current economic performance, grew by 1.7 per cent to 128.2 points in June 2025 compared to 126.1 points a year ago. “This increase was driven by improvements across all components, with the real Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contribution value recording the highest rise of 6.1 per cent. On a monthly basis, the CI rose 0.4 per cent, aided by the Industrial Production Index (IPI), which advanced by 0.3 per cent,” it added.