Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/04/30
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang 

Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Taiwan’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose 1.72 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter, falling short of the 1.82 percent growth projected in February, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said Tuesday.

The lower than expected figure resulted largely from weaker than expected private consumption during the period, when sales posted by cars, motorcycle and information communications device vendors fell, even as revenue posted by online vendors increased, the DGBAS said.

First quarter GDP growth was also down slightly from the 1.78 percent increase seen in the fourth quarter of 2018 and was the lowest quarterly growth figure since hitting 1.22 percent in the second quarter of 2016, data compiled by the DGBAS showed.

Private consumption rose 1.45 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, compared with a previous estimate of a 1.79 percent increase, and boosted overall GDP growth by 0.86 percentage points, the DGBAS said.    [FULL  STORY]