HEADWINDS: Orders are likely to decrease this month, as seasonal factors and a weak global economy might depress demand, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 21, 2020
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter

Export orders last month posted the first annual growth in 13 months to US$43.8 billion, driven by increasing orders for smartphones, 5G chips and machine tools amid easing US-China trade tensions, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

Different from customs-cleared exports, export orders are a critical gauge of how actual exports are likely to perform in one to three months.

The outlook for this quarter is positive as easing US-China trade tension might stimulate trade and investment worldwide, the ministry said.

“Hopefully, export orders in the first quarter would exceed the amount achieved in the first quarter of last year,” Department of Statistics Director Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲) said by telephone. 
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