, Taiwan

Why analysts expect a dismal growth from Taiwan for 2013

GDP forecast slipped to 2.6%.

According to DBS, GDP forecast for 2013 has been lowered further to 2.6% from 3.3%. The 2Q growth appears weaker than expected. Export growth slipped in April-May, PMI dropped below 50. Industrial production fell in April and the rise in inventory-to-shipment ratio suggests that destocking pressures will remain in the near term.

While a substantial economic recovery will be delayed to 2014 (forecast: 4.2%), DBS has not abandoned the view that growth will improve in 2H13.

Here's more from DBS:

Technically, the contribution of net exports to GDP growth should turn positive, as imports growth has retreated thanks to the moderation in capital goods demand and the fall in commodity prices.

Meanwhile, consumption growth should be helped by the recent easing of energy price inflation and the improvement in real household incomes. The government’s latest proposal of revising the capital gains tax bill should also lift public sentiment.

On monetary policy, we think the probability of rate cuts is lower than 50%. The overnight interbank rate currently stands at only 0.39%, and the inflation-adjusted short-term real rates remain negative (CPI: 0.9% in Apr-May).

Meanwhile, property prices have continued to rise strongly, despite the central bank’s attempt to cool prices via mortgage lending controls. The central bank has to be wary of the side-effects of lower interest rates on asset prices. We expect the CBC to hold the policy discount rate steady at 1.875% when they meet on June 27.

Join Singapore Business Review community
Join Singapore Business Review community
A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

Reaching the people who run Asia's businesses is harder than it used to be.

Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. The executives you most want to reach — the founders, CFOs, and operators who actually move budgets — are the hardest to find through the usual channels. If you're building a company, a category, or a reputation, you already know this.

We've spent twenty years building the room they read. Singapore Business Review is where senior decision makers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia come for business coverage they can't get elsewhere — in print, online, and in person at the summits and roundtables we host across seven markets.

If you have something these readers should know about — a point of view worth publishing, a product worth their attention, an event worth their time — we'd like to hear what you're trying to do.

Top News

MPA, China Classification Society renew maritime pact
The expanded partnership covers green fuels, vessel electrification, autonomous ships and maritime talent development.
Singapore, Sweden deepen clean-energy cooperation
The partnership will focus on hydrogen, ammonia, regional power links and high-voltage transmission technologies.