TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The indicator for the manufacturing sector flashed yellow-red in September, marking the fifth month in a row it has done so and showing that the sector was heating up, reports said Wednesday (Nov. 3).

According to the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER), the global economic recovery and the approach of the year-end shopping season were contributing to Taiwan’s exports and export orders, CNA reported. However, the think tank also cautioned that shortages of containers and raw materials as well as power cuts in China could still result in a negative impact.

September was the seventh month this year to see a yellow-red light for the manufacturing sector, though if expressed in points, the score was lower than during the previous months, TIER said. Uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia, the Evergrande real estate scandal in China, and the debt limit controversy in the United States were issues that weighed on the markets.