Feb export orders 18.3 yy vs 15.0 poll forecast
Export orders from China 35.5 yy vs 45.9 in Jan
Ministry sees March orders between 20.2 and 23.4 yy
Outlook remains cautious

TAIPEI, March 20 Reuters Taiwan39;s export orders in February shrank for a sixth straight month, though at a slower pace, dragged down by China and as global demand continued to be squeezed by inflation and interest rate hikes.

The island39;s export orders, a bellwether for global technology demand, fell 18.3 from a year earlier to 42.12 billion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Monday.

February39;s number was worse than analysts39; expectations for a 15.0 decline, and compared with January39;s 19.3 slump.

Export orders in February missed expectations mainly because demand for consumer electronics was far less than expected … mainly because electronics and telecom products did not meet expectations, the ministry said.

Orders for telecoms products dropped 20.3 and electronic products fell 21.9 from a year earlier, it said.

Global economic growth momentum could be constrained in the coming months as inflation and interest rate pressures persist, as well as no signs of letup in the RussiaUkraine war, the ministry said.

However, that would be offset by demand for emerging technologies such as highperformance computing, artificial intelligence, cloud data centres and automotive electronics, it added.

Taiwan39;s exportdriven economy has been hit by slowing demand from China and the…