SINGAPORE, Sept 16 — Singapore exports posted flat growth for August, exceeding economists’ expectations. 

This was due to a boost from shipments of non-electronic products which outweighed the fall in electronics shipments.

Non-oil domestic exports (NODX) registered a flat growth last month on a year-on-year basis, compared to the 10.6 per cent contraction in the previous month, trade agency International Enterprise (IE) Singapore said today. 

Economists in a Reuters poll had expected exports to slide 4.1 per cent in a third straight month of decline.

Shipments of non-electronic products increased by 2.7 per cent last month, turning around from the 9.5 per cent contraction in the previous month. 

The expansion was led by the export of non-electric engines & motors, specialised machinery and structural parts made of iron, steel & aluminium.

Meanwhile shipments of electronic products contracted by 6 per cent, following the 12.9 per cent fall in the previous month. 

The decline was largely due to a fall in the export of personal computers, disk drives and integrated circuits.

NODX to six out of the top 10 markets rose in August, except the European Union, China, Japan and Indonesia. 

The largest contributors to the increase in NODX were Taiwan, Hong Kong and the United States. — TODAY