SINGAPORE, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's domestic wholesale sales fell 6.9 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2026, weighed down by weaker demand across several key industries, official data showed on Wednesday.

The decline was led by the household equipment and furniture industry, where sales dropped 20.4 percent due mainly to softer demand for audio and video equipment, the Singapore Department of Statistics said in a statement.

Sales in the petroleum and petroleum products industry also fell 17.3 percent, while the metals, timber and construction materials segment declined 13.7 percent, reflecting weaker sales of crude oil and metals.

In contrast, domestic sales in the general wholesale trade industry surged 68.9 percent, supported by continued growth in commodity trading activities.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis, domestic wholesale sales contracted 11.9 percent in the January-March period.

Meanwhile, Singapore's foreign wholesale sales rose 3.6 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter, as the telecommunications and computers industry posted the strongest growth of 49.5 percent.