Singapore’s November exports in surprising fall

Exports fall: A crane places a container on a vessel at the Tanjong Pagar Terminal in Singapore. Singapore’s exports unexpectedly fell last month, dented by a continued contraction in shipments to China. – EPA

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s exports unexpectedly fell in November, dented by a continued contraction in shipments to China, its biggest export market, and as weak external demand clouded the outlook for the city-state’s trade sector.

Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) fell 3.3% in November from a year earlier, Singapore’s trade agency said in a statement yesterday. The median forecast in a Reuters poll was a rise of 1.5%.