Export orders expanded 24.6 percent year-on-year last month to US$56.77 billion, driven by robust demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing applications, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
Last month’s figure — the fifth straight month of double-digit percentage growth and the second-highest for June — exceeded the ministry’s estimate of US$53 billion to US$55 billion.
It brought second-quarter orders to US$171.1 billion, up 20.9 percent year-on-year, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
In the first half of the year, export orders grew 16.6 percent year-on-year to US$320.57 billion, exceeding the ministry’s guidance of US$316.8 billion to US$318.8 billion.
While orders last month decreased 2 percent from May, as front-loading effects eased across all industries, particularly in traditional sectors, strong AI-related demand is expected to persist in the second half as server makers launch new products, which would help sustain order momentum, Department of Statistics Director-General Huang Wei-jie (黃偉傑) told a news conference in Taipei.
Order growth in the second half might slow from the first half, but it would still increase on an annual basis, Huang said, adding that the result would depends on how US tariff policies pan out.
Export orders this month are expected to decline month-on-month by 1.4 to 4.9 percent to US$54 billion to US$56 billion, the ministry said.
On an annual basis, orders are forecast to increase by 7.9 to 11.9 percent, it said.
The stronger-than-expected growth last month was mainly driven by orders for electronic components and information and communications technology (ICT) products, it said.
Export orders for electronic components increased 35 percent year-on-year last month, while orders for ICT products grew 37.4 percent and those for optoelectronic products gained 6.7 percent, ministry data showed.
Growth in ICT products was lifted by end-of-quarter front-loading of notebook computers, while similar effects for smartphones and other consumer electronics might emerge late this month or early next month, Huang said.
If tariffs do not affect the economy in the second half and consumer spending rebounds, shipments of consumer electronics should be unaffected, he said.
Traditional industries remained conservative due to weak market demand and oversupply from foreign peers, Huang said.
Export orders for plastic and rubber products fell 11.4 percent year-on-year last month, while orders for base metals dropped 10.2 percent and those for chemical products fell 8.7 percent as oversupply from China weighed on the three product categories, he said.
Export orders for machinery products rose 10.6 percent year-on-year last month, driven by demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, he added.
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