TAIPEI- Taiwan’s exports likely rose for a 10th straight month in April, a Reuters poll showed, lifted by demand for electronic goods as people continued to work and study from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taiwan is one of Asia’s major exporters of technology goods, and its export trend is a key gauge of global demand for hi-tech gadgets.
It is a key supplier to Apple Inc, which last week posted sales and profits ahead of Wall Street expectations fuelled by 5G iPhone upgrades but warned that a global chip shortage could dent iPads and Mac sales by several billion dollars.
The export forecasts from the poll of 11 analysts ranged widely between a rise of 20 percent and 32.3 percent, on uncertainties over the coronavirus outbreak that has disrupted the global supply chain and sent major economies into recession.
Exports were seen climbing 26.9 percent last month, though the median number will be off a lower base, as it was in April last year when the pandemic was biting in China, Taiwan’s largest trading partner, leading to factory closures.
In March, exports rose 27.1 percent from a year earlier.
Taiwan’s exports have been helped by robust demand for laptops and tablets to support working from home due to the pandemic. – Reuters
