TAIPEI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's economy would shrink 1.91 percent this
year, a think tank forecast Thursday, revising its April projection of 0.11
percent growth.
The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research said the revision was made
because the service sector's performance did not perform as well as expected in
the first half year, manufacturers' willingness to invest dropped considerately
and domestic consumption failed to rise amid global financial turmoil.
But the economy is expected to report growth in the third quarter, the
institution said.
The island's economy would report a contraction of 4.25 percent in the
second quarter and growth of 0.22 percent and 7.1 percent respectively in the
third and fourth quarter, the institute said.
Taiwan suffered a record 10.24 percent economic contraction in the first
quarter as the island's exports took a hard hit.
The institute predicted the island's exports would contract by 14.38
percent for the full year.
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