Malaysia Oct factory output up 4.2 pct y/y, beats forecast

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Malaysia's Oct industrial

production rose by a stronger-than-expected 4.2

percent from a year earlier, driven by growth in the

electricity, manufacturing and mining sectors, government data

showed on Friday.

That compared with 3.1 percent growth in September, and was

above the 3.3 percent rise forecast by economists in a Reuters

poll.

Electricity output showed the strongest growth among all

sectors at 6.9 percent, data from the Statistics Department

showed.

Malaysia's exports in October suffered their biggest drop in

18 months, falling 8.6 percent, which the government said

stemmed from a high base a year earlier.

A private manufacturing purchasing managers' index showed

Malaysian factory activity in November contracted again, with

new orders declining at the sharpest rate since mid-2012.

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INDEX (base 2005)

(in points; base year 2000=100)

Oct Sept

127.4 126.4*

Pct change yr/yr 4.2 3.1*

mth/mth 0.8 -0.1

SECTOR BREAKDOWN (in pct, unless otherwise stated)

Oct 2016 Sept 2016

yr/yr yr/yr

(pct) (pct)

Manufacturing 4.2 4.0

Electricity 6.9 7.1

Mining 3.5 -0.3*

*indicates revised figure

(Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Kim Coghill)