Malaysia Inflation To Stay Elevated,But No Threat-RHB

[Dow Jones] RHB Research says inflation in Malaysia is likely to remain elevated in 2012 but is unlikely to pose a major threat to the economy. "Furthermore, it will likely be driven by cost-push rather than demand-pull that will unlikely prompt the central bank to tighten its policy to control it," it adds. It expects Bank Negara Malaysia to hold its overnight policy rate unchanged at 3.00% in the foreseeable future. Thursday, the Malaysian central bank stood pat and signalled that it may not raise its key rate for the rest of the year as concerns over economic growth have heightened in recent months due to a slowdown in the global economy. (ankur.relia@dowjones.com)