Malaysia’s terms of trade improved by 0.3% month-on-month to 126.9 points in August 2026, as export unit values rose faster than import prices, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
On an annual basis, the terms of trade increased 3.6% from 122.5 points in August 2025.
DOSM said the monthly improvement was supported by higher indices for food, which rose 1.4%, inedible crude materials by 0.6% and miscellaneous manufactured articles by 0.4%.
Malaysia’s export unit value index increased 0.8% month-on-month in August, driven by higher prices for mineral fuels (+1.9%), food (+1.8%) and machinery and transport equipment (+0.3%).
However, export volume declined 2.1%, reflecting decreases in chemicals (-14.7%), manufactured goods (-5.0%) and machinery and transport equipment (-4.0%). The seasonally adjusted export volume index also fell 0.8% to 221.3 points.
Compared with a year earlier, export unit values rose 7.9% while export volumes expanded strongly by 34.8%.
On the import side, the unit value index increased 0.5% from July, supported by animal and vegetable oils and fats (+4.2%), mineral fuels (+1.7%) and food (+0.4%).
Import volumes, meanwhile, declined 5.2% month-on-month, led by lower volumes of food (-18.1%), chemicals (-13.7%) and manufactured goods (-11.6%). The seasonally adjusted import volume index fell 5.6% to 198.9 points.
Year-on-year, Malaysia’s import unit value index increased 4.2%, while import volume surged 35.5%.
