Taiwan's November export growth slightly topped expectations, as components for hot-selling gadgets such as the iPhone from Apple Inc boosted shipments.  Exports grew 3.7 percent from the same month of 2013, the island's Ministry of Finance said on Monday. This compared to a Reuters poll expectation for a 3.47 percent increase and was higher than the meagre 0.7 percent annual improvement in October. "The market in electronic goods remains vigorous," the ministry said in a statement. Exports to the U.S. saw a big 11.4 percent rise, which more than offset a 0.3 percent fall for those to largest trading partner China. Shipments to Europe expanded 3.70 percent. Exports to Japan gained 3 percent. The government also expects December exports to be slightly stronger than a year earlier, on the back of restocking of goods in warehouses. Taiwan's overall export value in December will be at least $26.5 billion, it said. In December 2013, shipments were $26.38 billion. This year, the release of Apple's iPhone 6 was the biggest economic fillip to Taiwan, whose companies make a sizable share of the gadget's circuitry. Major vendors such as camera lens maker Largan Precision Co Ltd and case maker Catcher Technology Co Ltd  saw annual sales gains in November of 77 and 19 percent, respectively.  Chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd also expects the fourth quarter to set another record for revenue.  Gains at tech firms were enough to offset weakness in trading partners such as China, which on Monday announced that imports shrank and export growth slowed markedly in November. Europe remains mired in stagnation, underscored by lower-than-expected growth in German industrial output for October.  The United States was the lone bright spot, with recent data such as November employment numbers coming in better than expected. (Reuters)