Singapore to release Q4, full-year advance GDP estimates on Jan 2

THE Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) will release the advance estimates for economic growth in the fourth quarter and the whole year at 8am on Jan 2 next year, it said on Tuesday.

MTI last month upgraded its forecast for 2017 gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent, up from an earlier estimate of 2 to 3 per cent.

Led by the manufacturing sector, the Singapore economy grew by 5.2 per cent year on year in the third quarter, its best showing since the fourth quarter of 2013.

For the fourth quarter, a Bloomberg poll of analysts sees GDP growth easing to 2.8 per cent.

Looking ahead at 2018, MTI said last month it expects the pace of growth to moderate compared with 2017 but "remain firm", tipping growth at 1.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent.