In January 2025, Malaysia's leading economic index experienced a decline of 1.2% compared to the previous month, reversing a growth of 0.8% in the previous month and marking the first decrease since October. The decline was driven by drops in four out of the seven components of the index: real imports of other basic precious and non-ferrous metals decreased by 0.6%, following a 0.1% increase in December; the Bursa Malaysia Industrial Index fell by 0.5%, after growing by 0.3%; real imports of semiconductors declined by 0.3%, compared to a 0.1% rise previously; and the number of housing units approved decreased by 0.1%, following a 0.2% increase. Additionally, real money supply remained nearly stagnant, slipping by 0.04% from a previous 0.1% hike. On a brighter note, anticipated sales value for manufacturing climbed by 0.2%, bouncing back from a 0.1% drop, and the registration of new companies rose by 0.1%, maintaining its pace from December. Annually, the leading index increased by a modest 0.4%, a notable slowdown from the 3.4% growth recorded in December. Simultaneously, the coincident index, which evaluates the current state of the economy, decreased by 1.4% after having an upwardly revised flat reading in the previous month.