Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/05/25
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Frances Huang 

Taipei, May 25 (CNA) Business sentiment in the local manufacturing sector turned weaker in April with an index gauging the mood of manufacturers falling in the wake of slow season effects in the month, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) said Friday.

TIER, one of the leading think tanks in the country said, the April composite index for the manufacturing sector fell 1.70 points from a month earlier to 98.32.

Speaking at a news conference, TIER President Lin Chien-fu (林建甫) said slow season effects impacted the sales of electronics manufacturers, while falling demand for smartphones worldwide and a drop in the number of working days in the month, as a result of the Tomb Sweeping Festival holiday, also resulted in lower production in the sector.

As a result, Lin said the business outlook of the local manufacturing sector turned more cautious in April, which dragged down the composite index for the month.
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