SINGAPORE, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The seasonally adjusted S&P Global Singapore Purchasing Managers' Index posted 52.6 in April, marking the Singaporean private business condition's continued improving for 14 straight months, the S&P Global said Monday.
New orders continued to expand for 16 straight months on the back of better underlying demand conditions, it said.
Business sentiment improved among Singaporean private firms in April, and the confidence rose to the highest since last November.
Up to 39 percent of the polled companies anticipated better market conditions and business development efforts to support sales, compared with 19 percent expecting the output to fall in the year ahead, S&P noted.
Meanwhile, cost inflation eased slightly in Singapore's private sector, with lower wage inflation offsetting faster purchase price growth. ■