Singapore's economy grew by 8.1% in 2004, its best performance since 2000, figures from the trade ministry show. The advance, the second-fastest in Asia after China, was led by growth of 13.1% in the key manufacturing sector. However, a slower-than-expected fourth quarter points to more modest growth for the trade-driven economy in 2005 as global technology demand falls back. Slowdowns in the US and China could hit electronics exports, while the tsunami disaster may effect the service sector. Economic growth is set to halve in Singapore this year to between 3% and 5%. In the fourth quarter, the city state's gross domestic product (GDP) rose at an annual rate of 2.4%. That was up from the third quarter, when it fell 3.0%, but was well below analyst forecasts. "I am surprised at the weak fourth quarter number. The main drag came from electronics," said Lian Chia Liang, economist at JP Morgan Chase. Singapore's economy had contracted over the summer, weighed down by soaring oil prices. The economy's poor performance in the July to September period followed four consecutive quarters of double-digit growth as Singapore bounced back strongly from the effects of the deadly Sars virus in 2003.
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