New export orders among bright spots stirring cautious optimism

Singapore

EVEN as economists remain cautiously optimistic about the health of Singapore's private sector, as shown by new data, they are identifying bright spots that may provide relief from the current economic gloom.

The latest Nikkei Singapore Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) released on Wednesday by Markit, a financial information services provider, shows that the index was at 52.5 in January, up 0.4 from December.