, Singapore

Singapore's manufacturing sector is on a tear

Growth pegged to hit to 9.8%.

Upward revision to the 1Q14 GDP growth figures is on the cards thanks to the manufacturing sector's stronger showing.

DBS noted that industrial output in March surged by 12.1% YoY (6.1% MoM sa). This is about twice the pace predicted by the market and implicit in the advance GDP estimates (about 6.5% YoY). Importantly, this will lead to an upward revision in the manufacturing growth figure for the first quarter to 9.8% YoY, from 8.0% projected previously.

Here's more:

More importantly, a significant upward revision to the first quarter GDP growth figure is in the making. The manufacturing sector accounts for about 27% of overall GDP. This upward adjustment in the manufacturing sector growth alone will add about 0.5%-pt to the headline GDP growth figure for the first quarter.

Moreover, chance is high for the services sector growth to be revised upward as well. While there have been some volatilities in the financial markets recently, the associated risk level was not of similar magnitude compared to the previous episode. So, it is hard to imagine the services sector, usually the most stable engine in the economy, dipping into contraction when the downside risk was not exactly that significant.

 

Join Singapore Business Review community
A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

The people you want to reach are already in this room.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into.

The good news is that the door is open. We work with companies on thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The shape of the right partnership depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.


If you have something this room should know about, tell us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.