Thu, May 21, 2026 page9

• Export orders rise to US$87.45bn

  CORE DRIVER: Orders for electronic products and machinery saw an increase, underscoring robust demand for semiconductor-related services and equipment

  • By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporter
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  Export orders last month rose 48.1 percent year-on-year to US$87.45 billion, marking the 15th consecutive month of increases and the second-highest monthly level on record, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

  The rise decelerated from the 65.9 percent annual increase recorded in March and below the 47.3 to 50.7 percent growth forecast by the ministry last month.

  Cumulative orders in the first four months of this year grew 49.5 percent annually to US$319.36 billion, the ministry said in a report.

  

  A container ship is pictured docking in Keelung Port on April 19.

  Photo: Edgar Su, Reuters

  Export orders — including orders received by Taiwanese firms and produced domestically and abroad — are an indicator of product and component shipments to overseas markets over the next one to three months. Last month, 48.1 percent of all orders received by firms were produced overseas, the ministry said.

  While last month’s orders declined 4 percent from the previous month due to a high base effect, overall order momentum remained strong, driven by steady demand for goods related to artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing and cloud services, the ministry said.

  The rise in raw material prices also helped lift the value of orders for traditional industries, it added.

  Technology-related goods remained the core driver of order growth last month, with those for information and communications technology products up by 89.7 percent year-on-year to US$31.46 billion, as strong demand for AI and cloud services boosted orders for servers and networking products, the ministry said.

  Orders for electronic products rose 45.9 percent to US$35.64 billion, underscoring the robust demand for semiconductor services and memory products, and those for optoelectronic products gained 5.8 percent to US$1.9 billion, indicating high demand for semiconductor-related optical inspection and measurement equipment, it added.

  In traditional industries, orders for machinery products grew 23.4 percent to US$2.07 billion, which the ministry attributed mainly to capacity expansion at semiconductor firms driving up demand for semiconductor equipment, along with growth in industrial automation.

  Meanwhile, rising crude oil and raw material prices saw an 8.2 percent increase in orders for plastic and rubber products to US$1.59 billion and a 4.5 percent rise in base metal products to US$2.08 billion, while chemical products edged up 0.5 percent to US$1.55 billion, the ministry said.

  By destination, orders last month from the US registered the largest annual increase of 62.6 percent, followed by rises of 61.7 percent from ASEAN and 33.3 percent from Japan, the ministry said.

  Orders from China, including Hong Kong, grew 29 percent and those from Europe were up 21.8 percent, it said.

  This month, export orders are expected to continue rising from last month, as the ministry-compiled diffusion index of export orders — a gauge of manufacturers’ expectations on orders for the following month — rose above the neutral level to 51.2, suggesting that firms remain optimistic. As a result, orders are forecast to reach between US$89 billion and US$91 billion, it said.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Police identify man who engaged in indecency at park

  • 2

    Taiwan’s GDP per capita lead fuels South Korean unease

  • 3

    McDonald’s to raise prices on select items from May 27

  • 4

    TSMC expects global chip revenue to hit US$1.5tn

  • 5

    Wildlife cam sex scene drawing copycats, visitors