OPR maintained at 3.5%
KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara’s Monetary Policy Committee has decided to keep the Overnight Policy Rate unchanged at 3.5%.
Announcingthis on Friday night after a day-long Monetary Policy meeting, BankNegara said while the risks to higher inflation and slower growth haveincreased in the next 12 months, “the immediate concern is to avoid afundamental economic slowdown that would involve higher unemployment”.
“Slowinggrowth itself will contribute to containing the potential for secondround effects on inflation, thereby containing further increases inprices in the second-half of 2009. Given the underlying fundamentalstrength of the economy, and the resilient banking sector, the Bank’sassessment is that after this transitional period, the Malaysianeconomy has the potential to re-establish its medium term growth path,”Bank Negara said in a statement.
According to the central bank,the performance of the Malaysian economy in the first-half of 2008 hasbeen driven by robust domestic demand and reinforced by favourableexport performance.
“The recent major restructuring of domesticenergy prices to bring prices closer to the substantially higherinternational prices is intended to reduce the fundamental distortionsthat it might create, and to ensure fiscal sustainability. Theseadjustments are expected to have a deflationary effect on the economyin the second half of this year and into the early part of 2009.
“TheBank is projecting inflation to remain elevated in the second-half ofthis year and into early next year before moderating towards the middleof 2009. The average inflation for 2008 is projected to be in the rangeof 5.5-6%. The inflation rate is expected to moderate in the secondhalf of 2009 in the context of a more moderate growth environment.
“Currently,much of the significant rise in inflation is due to the increase infuel prices. At this stage, the concern is for broader price increasesand second-round effects, which would result in inflation beingpersistent. In such circumstances, the appropriate monetary policyresponse will be taken in order to maintain medium term price stabilityand ensure that the high inflation does not undermine the longer termgrowth prospects of the Malaysian economy.”