Domestic wholesale trade in Q4 2011 rose by 8.2% on-year, but dipped 0.9% when compared to the previous quarter. According to the Department of Statistics (DOS), the on-year rise in wholesale trade was due to higher demand for petroleum and petroleum products.
Excluding petroleum, domestic wholesale trade in Q4 2011 grew both on-year (+4.7%) and on-quarter (+2.1%).
On-year, domestic wholesale trade in Q4 2011 was highest for ship chandlers and bunkering (29.5%) and telecommunications and computers (16.1%). This was followed by:
- Transport Equipment (+13.9%)
- Industrial and Construction Machinery (+13.1%)
- Petroleum and Petroleum Products (+12.7%)
- Timber, Paints and Construction Materials (+6.4%)
- General Wholesale Trade (+5.9%)
- Food, Beverages and Tobacco (+4.6%)
Other domestic wholesale trade activities saw dips of between 1.9% and 15.9%.
Meanwhile, foreign wholesale trade in Q4 2011 increased by 13.8% on-year and 2.4% on-quarter, also due to increased demand for petroleum and petroleum products.
Excluding petroleum, foreign wholesale trade in Q4 2011 grew 8.3% on-year and 0.8% on-quarter.
On-year, foreign wholesale trade in Q4 2011 was led by:
- Timber, Paints and Construction Materials (+22.5%)
- Petroleum and Petroleum Products (+20.5%)
- General Wholesale Trade (+20%)
- Ship Chandlers and Bunkering (+18.4%)
Other activities saw sales increases of between 14.8% and 0.1%, except for sales dips for household equipment and furniture (-9.5%) and transport equipment (-15.6%).
