Domestic wholesale trade rises 18.5% in 2nd quarter

Singapore's domestic wholesale trade expanded by 18.5 per cent in the second quarter this year, compared with the same period a year ago, slowing from growth of 23.5 per cent in the first quarter.

Quarter on quarter, this trade grew by 1.3 per cent over the first three months of the year.

Excluding petroleum, domestic wholesale trade rose by a smaller 4.8 per cent from a year ago, according to Department of Statistics data released yesterday. Quarter on quarter, it declined 3.5 per cent.

After adjusting for price changes, overall domestic wholesale trade rose 7.3 per cent from a year ago.

On a year-on-year basis, the ship chandlers and bunkering, petroleum and petroleum products, and chemicals and chemical products industries expanded by 43.9 per cent, 37.2 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively in domestic sales on higher prices of petroleum and chemical products, compared with the second quarter of 2016.

After removing the price effect, the ship chandlers and bunkering, and petroleum and petroleum products industries registered smaller increases of 14.1 per cent and 11.6 per cent respectively, while domestic sales of the chemicals and chemical products industry fell 10.3 per cent.

  • 7.3 %

    Percentage rise of overall domestic wholesale trade from a year ago, after adjusting for price changes.

  • 4.8 %

    Percentage rise of domestic wholesale trade from a year ago, excluding petroleum.

The general wholesale trade (25.5 per cent), electronic components (10.7 per cent), and food, beverages and tobacco (0.1 per cent) industries recorded growths in domestic sales. In contrast, the metals, timber and construction materials, telecommunications and computers, industrial and construction machinery, transport equipment, and household equipment and furniture industries reported year-on- year sales decreases of between 0.1 per cent and 7.3 per cent.

Ann Williams

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 19, 2017, with the headline Domestic wholesale trade rises 18.5% in 2nd quarter. Subscribe