SINGAPORE (Bloomberg) - Singapore's cargo container traffic rose for the first time in more than a year last month, a sign that the worst of a recent trade slump may be nearing an end.

The Republic is among the most vulnerable in Asia to swings in global demand and exports have declined every month since April last year.

Container traffic in Singapore, the world's second-busiest cargo port after Shanghai, rose 1.6 per cent in May from a year earlier, according to data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.