TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s export orders likely contracted again in December and at a faster clip than the previous month, a Reuters poll showed on Monday, as global demand for the island’s technology-related goods continues to cool.
The median forecast from a poll of 13 economists was for export orders to fall by 25.6% from a year earlier. Forecasts ranged for a contraction of between 16.3% and 30%.
Taiwan’s export orders, a bellwether of global technology demand, fell by a worse-than-expected 23.4% in November.
The government last month predicted December’s export orders would be between 27.8% and 30.8% lower than those reported a year earlier.
Taiwan’s export orders are a leading indicator of demand for high-tech gadgets and Asian exports, and typically lead actual exports by two to three months.
The island’s manufacturers, including the world’s largest contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, are a key part of the global supply chain for technology giants including Apple Inc.
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The data for December will be released on Tuesday.
(Poll compiled by Veronica Khongwir and Carol Lee; Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Jamie Freed)