* reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url=cpurl://apps.cp./Apps/econ-polls?RIC=MYGDPQP GDP poll data
* Malaysia's GDP seen expanding 3.3% in Q2
* Q2 GDP data due on Aug. 18
BENGALURU, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Malaysia's economic growth likely slowed to its weakest in nearly two years in the second quarter on an annual basis as private consumption growth weakened and exports fell sharply, a Reuters poll of economists found.
Southeast Asia's third-largest economy grew 3.3% in the April-June quarter from a year earlier, according to the median forecast of 21 economists polled July 31-Aug. 15, down from 5.6% in the previous quarter.
If realized, that would be the slowest pace since Q3 2021. Forecasts ranged from 2.0% to 6.0%.
"High frequency indicators...point towards a slower growth in domestic activity. Retail sales slipped to single-digit growth during the April-May period from double-digit prints in Q1, reflecting slower private consumption demand," wrote Krystal Tan, economist at ANZ.
"We believe domestic demand will slow further in the second half as real rates continue to rise, despite the subsidy coverage and the lower income tax rate. There is also little evidence the slowdown in external demand will reverse anytime soon."
Malaysia's exports fell 14.1% in June compared to the same period last year. China is Malaysia's biggest trading and investment partner but its economic recovery this year has fallen short of expectations.
"The key to Malaysia's growth going forward will partly depend on how China is going to deal with the slowdown that they experience," said Nazmi Idrus, head of economics at CGS-CIMB Securities.
A Reuters poll published last month predicted Malaysia's growth to average 4.2% this year, at the lower end of Bank Negara Malaysia's 4-5% forecast.
(Reporting by Veronica Dudei Maia Khongwir; Polling by Milounee Purohit; Editing by Hari Kishan, Ross Finley and Sonia Cheema)
