The country's November trade surplus rose 40 percent from last year and was up 15 percent from the previous month but exports slowed towards the year-end, the trade ministry said today.

Malaysia posted a surplus of RM5.58 billion in November, up from RM4.84 billion in October, the ministry said in preliminary figures released here.

November's figure also beat the RM3.98 billion recorded in the same month in 2001 and marked the country's 61st consecutive monthly surplus since November 1997, it said.

In a statement, the ministry said exports eased to RM31.13 billion, down 2.5 percent from RM31.92 billion in October. Imports slid at a faster pace of 5.6 percent to RM25.55 billion from RM27 billion.

Higher exports of electrical and electronic products, machinery, rubber products and transport equipment offset declines particularly in exports of palm oil, crude petroleum and refined petroleum products, it said.

Electrical and electronic exports were up 0.7 percent from October to RM17 billion and remained the top revenue earner, accounting for almost 55 percent of total exports in November.