Local manufacturing business sentiment turned more cautious last month, results of a survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) showed.
The manufacturing composite index, which is based on the survey, fell 0.52 points last month from a month earlier to 95.21, the lowest level since February last year when it stood at 92.42, said TIER, one of the nation’s leading economic think tanks.
The weaker sentiment reflected compromised production growth by a relatively high comparison base from the same period last year, TIER Economic Forecasting Center director Gordon Sun (孫明德) said.
Since Apple Inc is expected to unveil its next-generation iPhones in September, many fans of the company have put their purchase plans on hold, affecting Taiwanese suppliers’ shipments, Sun said.
The composite index for the construction sector also fell 0.04 points from a month earlier to 87.94, as many buyers were waiting for home sellers to cut prices, a development that has made property developers wary, TIER said.
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