Hong Kong exporter confidence records steepest drop in 2 years

Confidence among Hong Kong’s exporters fell at its steepest rate in two years amid global trade turbulence even as demand was expected to remain stable over the long term.

The Trade Development Council (TDC) on Tuesday said its Exporters Confidence Index for the first quarter of 2026 showed that traders remained “cautious”, though trade diversification strategies have them “well prepared” for any further market disruptions.

The index surveys over 500 traders from six major industries on a quarterly basis to measure their near-term export performance.

A score above 50 indicates expansion or optimism while a score below that threshold indicates a pessimistic or downward trend.

The index is split into two key indicators – one measuring current performance and the other measuring expectations.

For the first quarter of 2026, the current performance index was 46.5, down from 51.4 in the fourth quarter of 2025. The expectation index, meanwhile, fell to 46.9 from 51.9 over the same period.

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