《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 November another ‘blue’ month for businesses

UPTICK AHEAD? With most forecasters expecting the global economy to improve next year, Taiwan should benefit as an export-oriented economy, the NDC said

By Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

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The government’s business monitoring system floundered in the “blue” zone last month, the sixth consecutive signal of economic weakness, although the pace of the downturn eased slightly, the National Development Council （NDC） said yesterday.

The monitoring indicators yielded a total score of 15, unchanged from last month, but showed better signs of stabilization, center director Wu Ming-huei （吳明蕙） said.

“Although the economy remained sluggish, the downward trend eased in a more evident fashion,” she told reporters.

Wu attributed her forecast to the tapering of the decline in the leading indicators to 0.07 percent and the minor increase of 0.03 percent in the concurrent indicators.

Research institutes worldwide generally expect the global economy to perform better next year and the improvement would benefit Taiwan due to its heavy reliance on exports, Wu said.

The semiconductor industry is about to come out of inventory adjustments, while the Internet of Things and big data will spur business opportunities, the director said.

After seasonal adjustments, the sub-indices on export orders and monetary aggregates showed positive cyclical movements last month, while readings on building permits, the semiconductor book-to-bill ratio and TAIEX closing prices pointed downward, the center’s report said.

The gauges regarding machinery and electrical equipment imports, sales of trade and food services, and power consumption also saw positive cyclical movements after factoring in seasonality, the report said.

The government has stepped up subsidies for purchases of energy-efficient home appliances and the advent of the New Year and Lunar New Year holidays may lend further support, Wu said.

“The government will keep a close watch on private spending activity and potential global headwinds,” Wu said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES