Kuala lumpur: Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Ahmad Nasir announced the government's ongoing commitment to implement targeted interventions to ensure citizens receive necessary support, focusing on the supply of essential goods, price stability, and providing assistance to those in need.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Akmal Nasrullah emphasized the monitoring of global supply pressures, noting their potential gradual impact on prices, industrial costs, employment, and household spending. He highlighted that the effects of the global supply crisis are anticipated to intensify in the third quarter of this year, significantly affecting price stability, industrial costs, and the labor market.
Malaysia's GDP growth of 5.4% in the first quarter of 2026, alongside maintaining a full-employment unemployment rate, forms a robust foundation for the government to implement structured, proactive, and responsive measures to tackle current economic challenges, noted Akmal Nasrullah during the Global Supply Crisis Briefing broadcast on the ministry's Facebook page.
He pointed out Malaysia's superior GDP growth compared to several major economies, including Singapore (4.6%), the Philippines (2.8%), and China (5.0%) for the first quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, Brent crude oil prices stayed elevated, ranging between US$105.62 and US$112.15 per barrel, indicating a market sensitive to geopolitical risks and global energy demand expectations, particularly from major Asian economies.
Akmal Nasrullah assured that the domestic financial market impact remains manageable, with the index moving within a narrow range between 1,740.22 points and 1,750.56 points from May 11 to 15, 2026, reflecting cautious investor sentiment without abrupt market disruption.
On living costs, he noted that while Malaysia's Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2026 showed an inflation rise to 1.9% from 1.7% in March 2026, inflation remains moderate and controlled compared to other regional and global economies. The rise in domestic inflation was primarily driven by the transport group, with diesel and RON97 prices increasing significantly, he explained.