Overview
- Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, which issued advance estimates Tuesday, reported 4.6% year‑on‑year growth for Q1 and a 0.3% seasonally adjusted drop from the prior quarter.
- Sector results were mixed, with manufacturing up 5% from a year earlier but down 4.9% from Q4, construction up 9% on stepped‑up public and private works, and services expanding at a slower pace.
- MTI and Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong warned the conflict could slow activity and lift prices, squeezing energy‑intensive factories and raising costs for air and sea transport and tourism.
- A Reuters poll of 50 economists expects China’s economy to grow about 4.8% year on year in Q1 and 4.6% for 2026, with higher oil prices and weaker overseas demand seen weighing on profits.
- Reuters reporting notes China’s producer prices rose in March for the first time in over three years, signaling rising input costs, even as large oil reserves, a diverse energy mix, and price controls help limit disruption.