"Participants agreed with our base case view that global and regional credit conditions will be broadly stable in the near term. A benign external environment and Malaysia's large and diversified economy, ample natural resources and robust medium-term growth prospects will support the country's sovereign credit profile," it said. The poll participants considered trade protectionism and unexpected tightening in funding conditions to be the top downside risks. This was a shift from Moody's polls that were conducted at our Hong Kong and Singapore conferences, when respondents viewed an interest rate shock and geopolitical tensions as the key risks for the region. "As a highly trade dependent economy, Malaysia is vulnerable to targeted protectionist measures by the US," it said. Moody's said a gradual rise in global interest rates will be manageable for Malaysia. The poll participants indicated that rising rates will have a limited and manageable impact on Malaysia, a sentiment it broadly agrees with.