Singapore’s economy grew at a slightly faster pace in the first quarter than initially estimated, as factory activity remained robust, while an improvement in global demand prompted the government to upgrade its 2018 growth forecast. The economy grew 1.7 percent in the January-March quarter from the previous three months on an annualised and seasonally adjusted basis thanks to a slight upward revision in the services sector, revised final figures from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) showed on Thursday.