SINGAPORE - Singapore's factory output in October fell more than expected, sliding 7.9 per cent due to slower production of high-tech goods, government data showed on Friday.
The monthly manufacturing data compared with a revised 10.2 per cent increase the previous month, and a revised 11.1 per cent slide in August.
Compared to a year earlier, factory output rose 1.5 per cent in October, the Economic Development Board said in a statement, below a market forecast for a 7.3 per cent increase.
Manufacturing accounts for about a quarter of Singapore's US$117 billion trade-dependent economy.
Excluding the volatile biomedical sector, manufacturing output fell 2.6 per cent from a year earlier. Many economists say this figure gives a better indication of fundamentals, as drug firms often close production lines for cleaning or to change products. -- REUTERS
