BRIGHTER OUTLOOK: Exports have a chance of increasing by 2.5 percent this month as companies recover some confidence, the Department of Statistics’ director-general said

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 09, 2019
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

The nation’s exports last month contracted 4.4 percent from a year earlier to US$28.68 billion, after an 8.8 percent decline in February, as demand for electronics remained soft in the traditional slow season, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

However, improving business confidence might nudge outbound shipments temporarily back into growth territory this month, as the US and China negotiate further and seek to end their trade differences, the ministry said.

“Exports have a moderate chance of increasing by 2.5 percent this month, as companies recover some confidence,” Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) said.

The increase might not be enough to reverse a quarterly decline for the April-to-June period, when technology brands typically remain low key ahead of the release of next-generation models in the fall, Tsai said.    [FULL  STORY]