SLOW SEASON:The ministry forecast that export orders would slide this month due to seasonal factors, but the estimate would still represent a double-digit annual rise

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 21, 2017
By Lauly Li / Staff reporter

The nation’s export orders last month increased 12.3 percent year-on-year to US$41.12 billion, the best monthly performance for March on record, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

“The results were mainly driven by stronger-than-expected orders from China and Hong Kong for large flat panels used in TVs,” Department of Statistics Director-General Lin Lee-jen (林麗貞) told a news conference.

The growth momentum exceeded the ministry’s forecast of between 2 percent and 5 percent annual growth, Lin said.

Orders for precision instruments — including equipment used in the production of flat panels — last month rose 39.3 percent annually to US$2.42 billion, the fifth straight month of growth, while orders for information and communications technology products grew 10.4 percent to US$11.37 billion and electronics orders expanded 11.9 percent to US$10.72 billion, Lin said.    [FULL  STORY]