January NODX falls 10.1% in its worst showing in over two years

Singapore

SINGAPORE'S trade sector began this year on a weak note, with non-oil domestic exports (NODX) for January sliding a worse-than-expected 10.1 per cent from a year ago, as both electronics and non-electronics shipments shrank.

Economists polled by Bloomberg expected a 3.5 per cent drop; analysts surveyed by Reuters expected a 1.6 per cent decline, given the high base effect of January 2018 when exports rose 13 per cent.