S’pore export sees 2.8pc rise

Singapore exports reversed two straight months of decline to rise an annual 2.8 percent in January led by strong shipments of petrochemicals and disk drives, the government said Monday.
The rise in non-oil domestic exports (NODX) to 15.41 billion Singapore dollars (10.9 billion US) was unexpected, with six economists polled expecting another decline.
NODX, an important barometer of the health of Singapore's open, trade-reliant economy, contracted 3.4 percent in November and 4.5 percent in December, government data showed.