TAIPEI • Taiwan raised its growth forecast for the year after the economy grew more than initially estimated last quarter, as exports and consumption recovered.
Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 3.72% in the three months through December from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said in a statement in Taipei last Friday.
That compares to a preliminary estimate of 3.42% and a median of 3.4% in a Bloomberg survey of 11 economists. The bureau raised its 2013 GDP forecast to 3.59% from 3.53%.
Taiwan President Ma Yingjeou this month reshuffled his Cabinet as he seeks to bolster his approval rating and strengthen the economy. Closer trade and investment ties with China have boosted growth prospects for the island, which joined Singapore last Friday in reporting faster-than-estimated expansion in a sign the region is recovering from a global slowdown.
The benchmark Taiex stock index closed 0.1% lower last Friday before the report. The Taiwan dol lar rose to NT$29.66 (RM3.10) against its US counterpart, according to Taipei Forex Inc. It is the worst performer this year after the Japanese yen among 11 widely-traded Asian currencies tracked by Bloomberg.
Ma earlier this month promoted Vice Premier Jiang Yi-Huah to Premier and re-appointed central bank governor Perng Fai-nan to a fourth five-year term, suggesting continued stability for the island’s currency and protection for its exporters.
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