By Aries Poon and Jenny W. Hsu
TAIPEI--Taiwan's export orders in November stayed close to the
record high reached in the prior month, as demand for components
for new iPhones and other mobile devices remained strong.
Overseas buyers placed US$43.51 billion of orders with Taiwanese
manufacturers last month, up 6.0% from a year earlier, the Ministry
of Economic Affairs said Monday.
November's export orders were the second highest ever after the
US$44.91 billion posted in October.
Taiwan has benefited from the U.S. economic recovery more than
other Asian exporters, such as Japan and Singapore, in part because
of the island's central role in the global supply chain of
electronic products. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Hon
Hai Precision Industry Co., for instance, are main suppliers of
Apple Inc.'s iPhones and iPads. The global rollout of the
fourth-generation mobile network has also created additional demand
for smartphones and tablets in various price segments.
Export orders for electronic products--mostly microprocessors
for smartphones--rose 8.4% from a year earlier, lower than a 14%
advance in October. Orders for information and communication
products increased 17% after growing 21% in October.
Taiwan's export orders indicate actual exports for a month or
two later, and are seen as a barometer for the global electronics
sector.
In the 11 months ended Nov. 30, Taiwan's export orders grew 7.0%
from a year earlier. Economists say orders are unlikely to have the
kind of sustained double-digit growth they experienced during the
decade before the 2008 financial crisis, as regional competition
has strengthened in recent years.
U.S. demand rose 14% in November, after a 17.4% rise in October.
Orders for electronics products from the U.S. have been growing
sequentially over the past few months, underlining the strength of
the recovery there.
Demand from Europe rose almost 19%, after a 30% rise in
October.
In November, orders from China and Hong Kong dropped 3.4% from a
year earlier, compared with an 3.0% rise in October.
Write to Aries Poon at aries.poon@wsj.com and Jenny W. Hsu at
jenny.hsu@wsj.com