Economists trim S

---

SINGAPORE, June 16 (AFP): Singapore's economy is forecast to expand by 5.5 per cent this year, slightly off the previous survey in March, the city-state's de facto central bank said today.

The median forecast was trimmed from the 5.6 per cent seen in the last Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) survey of economists in March.

The government of Singapore, Southeast Asia's most advanced economy, has stuck to its full-year GDP growth estimate of four to six per cent.

In the first quarter, export-reliant Singapore grew more slowly than estimated as demand weakened because of a slowdown in the United States and other key markets, the government said.

Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 6.7 per cent in the March quarter compared with the same period last year, it said.