The eurozone’s debt crisis and the slowing momentum of China’s economic growth have added to near-term uncertainties for local manufacturers, even though their sentiment remained flat to bullish over the next six months, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) said yesterday.
The survey showed that 37.5 percent of respondents felt bullish about prospects in the near term, down from 38.9 percent in March, while 39.7 percent of respondents said their feelings remained unchanged, down from March’s 47.8 percent. In addition, 22.7 percent of respondents were bearish about the next six months, up from 13.3 percent in March.
“The rising uncertainties on the global economy made more respondents concerned about the near-term prospects,” TIER president David Hong (洪德生) said.
The business climate gauge for the manufacturing sector dropped to 96.02 points last month, down 3.39 points from a revised 99.41 points in March — which was the lowest since March 2009 — an indication that the momentum of the manufacturing sector is slowing.
“The dropping figure last month was driven by the higher comparison base in March and the sector’s higher costs amid rising commodity prices,” said Chen Miao (陳淼, director of TIER’s macroeconomic forecasting center, adding that the results reflected a seasonal slowdown in demand.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
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