Export orders last month gained 3.3 percent from a year earlier to US$52.27 billion, rising for the ninth straight month, as demand from artificial intelligence (AI) held strong, but demand linked to smartphones slackened, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
The latest data represented a 5.7 percent retreat from one month earlier and lagged behind the ministry’s growth projection in November of between 4.7 percent and 8.6 percent.
Department of Statistics Director Huang Yu-ling (黃于玲) pinned the disappointing results on lackluster orders for information and communications technology products, a main growth driver that shrank 2.3 percent from a year earlier to US$15.8 billion. The category includes AI servers and other devices used in smartphones.
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“Although demand from AI and cloud computing remained sturdy, smartphone-related orders tapered off,” Huang said, adding that the slowdown is most evident in Europe.
Export orders offer a critical economic bellwether, as they shed light on shipments one to three months later.
Export orders this month might increase between 13 percent and 17.5 percent in line with it being a high sales season, Huang said, adding that the Lunar New Year falls is at the end of next month, and firms are building inventory beforehand.
A few firms received orders intended to get ahead of potential tariff hikes after US president-elect Donald Trump assumes power next month, Huang said.
However, most have opted to take a wait-and-see approach as the tariff drama plays out, she added.
Huang said she had not seen order transfers from South Korea, where political uncertainty has escalated following the brief declaration of martial law earlier this month.
Firms generally keep a flexible but cautious inventory approach to save costs, the official said.
Export orders from the US grew 11.7 percent to US$18.23 billion, making it the largest buyer with a 34.9 percent share, as US cloud service providers Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services have invested in AI development and applications.
Orders from China fell 3.4 percent to US$10.59 billion, as the vast market struggled with a capacity glut and a lack of consumer confidence, the ministry said.
Orders from Europe shrank by 7.9 percent, while those from ASEAN countries grew at a modest 0.8 percent and Japanese orders rose by 17.8 percent, it said.
Inventory demand from new-generation gaming consoles underpinned the double-digit advance in Japan, Huang said.
Firms largely have neutral views about their business outlook for this month, with 15.9 percent expecting an increase in orders, 56.9 percent anticipating flat demand and 27.2 percent seeing a decline, the ministry said, citing a survey.
In the first 11 months of this month, export orders totaled US$536.62 billion, an increase of 3.7 percent from a year earlier, the ministry said.
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