Taiwan January export orders hit record US$76.91 billion

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported export orders surged 60.1% year-on-year in January to a record US$76.91 billion.

• Main announcement:MOEA said January export orders rose 60.1% to US$76.91 billion, marking the first time monthly export orders topped US$70 billion in the traditionally slow season; growth was driven by strong AI demand (servers, cloud services) and Lunar New Year base effects.
• Details and breakdown: Information and communications orders jumped 102.0% to US$25.15 billion; electronic product orders were US$32.59 billion (up 78.6%); optical instruments US$1.89 billion (up 18.6%); machinery orders rose 40.6% (strongest in over four years); base metals, plastics and rubber products, and chemicals grew 8.8%–13.9%. MOEA official Huang Wei-jie said the rebound in traditional sectors reflected holiday-related base effects and advance stocking, and that a clearer picture will come from combined January–February data.