Exports and foreign direct investment (FDI) both fell in November because of shrinking demand overseas, sending fresh signs of economic weakness and prompting calls for more measures to bolster the economy.

Exports dropped 2.2 per cent to $114.99 billion last month, the first monthly decline in seven years, Customs authorities said Wednesday. And FDI fell 36.52 per cent year-on-year to $5.3 billion, the Ministry of Commerce said.

But the country's trade surplus soared to a record $40.09 billion in November despite a fall in exports because imports fell, too, by 17.9 per cent year-on-year after having risen 15.6 per centinOctober.

Wholesale inflation eased to a 31-month low, thanks to a fall in commodity prices because of rising inventory and weak demand. And the producer price index (PPI) rose 2 per

cent year-on-year, the lowest since April 2006.

The consumer price index (CPI) is expected to fall, too. In October the CPI. the main gauge of inflation, moderated to an 18-month low of 4 percent year-on-year. It had peaked to 8.7 percent in February.

Inflation weakened largely because of the recent drop in commodity prices, including those of crude oil and non-ferrous metals.

Analysts said weak business sentiment has pushed up inventories of raw materials across the country, which in turn depressed factory gate prices.

The wholesale inflation is likely to fall further in the coming months because the slump in global oil and commodity prices haven't been fully taken into account in the latest data.

Business and consumer demand is expected to weaken further in the short term, because it will take a few months for the government's $586-billion stimulus package to take effect.