Malaysia’s economy expanded in the first quarter at its slowest rate since the global financial crisis, data showed Friday, as the energy-exporting country grapples with falling oil prices and weak overseas demand, AFP reported. Growth came in at 4.2% on-year in January-March, beating a 4% median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. But it was the fifth straight quarter in which the rate of expansion slowed, and the result could put pressure on policymakers to kickstart the struggling economy. A central bank official said it was the slowest rate of growth since the economy contracted 1.1% in the third quarter of 2009. Malaysian gross domestic product grew 4.5% in the final three months of 2015.
