PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara’s growth forecast for 2021, which was reaffirmed recently despite the introduction of stricter movement restrictions, remains achievable although economists largely predict an expansion closer to the lower-end of the central bank’s 6% to 7.5% forecast. Judging from the impact caused by the second round of movement control order (MCO 2.0) that began on Jan 13 and lasted for over seven weeks, some experts think the MCO 3.0 would also have a moderate impact on the pace of economic recovery. The Malaysian economy only contracted marginally by 0.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021 (Q1). This was the smallest contraction since the pandemic struck.