Singapore's January exports rise 9.3%, electronic shipments lifted by AI demand

The increase was led by electronics shipments. Advertisement Singapore Singapore's January exports rise 9.3%, electronic shipments lifted by AI demand The increase was led by electronics shipments. Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (NODX) rose by 9.3 per cent in January 2026 year-on-year. (File photo: CNA/Ooi Boon Keong) New: You can now listen to articles. This audio is generated by an AI tool. Renee Kuek Renee Kuek 16 Feb 2026 09:23AM (Updated: 16 Feb 2026 09:32AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports (NODX) rose by 9.3 per cent in January from the same month a year earlier, Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) said on Monday (Feb 16).The increase was led by electronics shipments, which grew 56.1 per cent in January - more than double the previous month’s growth. This was driven mainly by strong AI-related demand and a low base.Export growth was lower than expected, compared with a Reuters poll forecast of a 12.1 per cent increase, and non-electronic NODX fell by 3 per cent.The main drivers of electronic NODX growth were integrated circuits (ICs), disk media products and personal computers (PCs), which were up 80.5 per cent, 70.2 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.The decline in non-electronic NODX year-on-year in January was driven by specialised machinery, food preparations and petrochemicals, dropping 15.6 per cent, 49.2 per cent and 24.5 per cent respectively.On the other hand, non-monetary gold grew by S$300 million (US$237 million), supported by high gold prices and demand for safe-haven assets amid economic uncertainty, EnterpriseSG said.Among key markets, NODX exports to China, Hong Kong, European Union (EU), South Korea, Malaysia Thailand and India rose substantially.NODX to China expanded by 37.1 per cent in January, while NODX to Hong Kong and the EU rose 34 per cent and 43.7 per cent respectively. Shipments to the US, however, fell further when compared with the preceding month.On a year-on-year basis, total trade expanded by 23.8 per cent in January as both exports and imports grew.EnterpriseSG last week upgraded its 2026 NODX growth forecast to 2 to 4 per cent, from 0 to 2 per cent previously. It also noted that growth in electronic NODX is expected to continue into 2026. Related: Singapore upgrades 2026 GDP growth forecast to 2%-4%; economy expanded by 5% in 2025 Commentary: When it comes to AI, Budget 2026 marks a shift from aspiration to execution Source: CNA/rk(sn) Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics NODX key exports economic outlook Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading... Advertisement Expand to read the full story Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST