TAIWANESE SLOWDOWN FORECAST TO EASE IN 2ND HALF 2009.

TAIPEI, June 8 Asia Pulse - Taiwan's economic slowdown is expected to gradually ease in the second half of this year, as several international forecasting organizations have predicted that the global economy will bottom out in the fourth quarter, the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said Sunday.

Major economies had experienced a huge slowdown and soaring unemployment rate in the first quarter of this year compared to the fourth quarter of last year, due to the impact of the global financial crisis, the CEPD noted.

The global economy was widely predicted to bottom out in the fourth quarter of this year and to rebound next year as the measures taken by the economies, including efficient inventory management, relaxed monetary policies, and economic stimulus packages, take effect, the CEPD reported.

As for Taiwan, its economy shrank by a record 10.24 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, due mainly to declining exports and investments during the global financial crisis, according to the CEPD.

Taiwan's exports and production continued to slump in April, signs that the economy is still in recession, but the decline of the economy appears to have slowed, the CEPD indicated.

Despite a drop in the unemployment rate in April, the national job market remains challenging, the CEPD said.