20100224 1652 Malaysia 4th Quater GDP improved 4.5%.

Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak said Wednesday that the nation's economy expanded at a faster-than-expected 4.5% in the fourth quarter, a rebound from the third quarter's 1.2% contraction. For the whole of 2009, gross domestic product fell 1.7%, less severe than an official forecast of 3.0% contraction.