The bourse fell for the first time in five days, paced by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (
Taiwan Semiconductor Manuf-acturing Co (
"A recovery in demand for electronic products is still uncertain," said Yu Re-ming, chief investment officer at Prudential Securities Investment Trust Co (
"Investors seeking high growth should avoid technology shares for now." Yu invested his NT$400 million (US$12 million) fund in financial and plastic and steel manufacturing companies. He doesn't own any shares of electronics companies.
TAIEX fell 74.41, or 1.5 percent, to close at 4,943.29. Almost two stocks fell for every one that gained. The value of trade was NT$137.4 billion, the highest since April 25 last year.
Hon Hai, the country's largest maker of parts for personal computers whose customers include Apple Computer, fell NT$2.50, or 1.9 percent, to NT$128.50. Quanta Computer Inc (
TSMC fell NT$1.90, or 3.8 percent, to NT$48.60. UMC dropped NT$0.7, or 3 percent, to NT$22.30.
Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd (中華映管) rose NT$0.25, or 1.9 percent, to NT$13.65. the country's third-largest maker of flat-panel displays for personal computers and its rival, Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (奇美光電), estimate the shortage of 15-inch displays has reached 20 percent, raising the possibility of a price increase in February, a local newspaper reported.
Chi Mei fell NT$0.3, or 1 percent, to NT$31.40.
First Financial Holding Co (
Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑) fell NT$1, or 2 percent, to NT$48.50. Its oil refining unit will sell gasoline and diesel at lower prices starting today.
The oil company Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) cut its domestic oil prices on expectations OPEC will increase output early in February to stem a rally in the crude oil price to a two-year high.
China has claimed a breakthrough in developing homegrown chipmaking equipment, an important step in overcoming US sanctions designed to thwart Beijing’s semiconductor goals. State-linked organizations are advised to use a new laser-based immersion lithography machine with a resolution of 65 nanometers or better, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in an announcement this month. Although the note does not specify the supplier, the spec marks a significant step up from the previous most advanced indigenous equipment — developed by Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment Group Co (SMEE, 上海微電子) — which stood at about 90 nanometers. MIIT’s claimed advances last
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has appointed Rose Castanares, executive vice president of TSMC Arizona, as president of the subsidiary, which is responsible for carrying out massive investments by the Taiwanese tech giant in the US state, the company said in a statement yesterday. Castanares will succeed Brian Harrison as president of the Arizona subsidiary on Oct. 1 after the incumbent president steps down from the position with a transfer to the Arizona CEO office to serve as an advisor to TSMC Arizona’s chairman, the statement said. According to TSMC, Harrison is scheduled to retire on Dec. 31. Castanares joined TSMC in
EUROPE ON HOLD: Among a flurry of announcements, Intel said it would postpone new factories in Germany and Poland, but remains committed to its US expansion Intel Corp chief executive officer Pat Gelsinger has landed Amazon.com Inc’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a customer for the company’s manufacturing business, potentially bringing work to new plants under construction in the US and boosting his efforts to turn around the embattled chipmaker. Intel and AWS are to coinvest in a custom semiconductor for artificial intelligence computing — what is known as a fabric chip — in a “multiyear, multibillion-dollar framework,” Intel said in a statement on Monday. The work would rely on Intel’s 18A process, an advanced chipmaking technology. Intel shares rose more than 8 percent in late trading after the
FACTORY SHIFT: While Taiwan produces most of the world’s AI servers, firms are under pressure to move manufacturing amid geopolitical tensions Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想) started building artificial intelligence (AI) servers in India’s south, the latest boon for the rapidly growing country’s push to become a high-tech powerhouse. The company yesterday said it has started making the large, powerful computers in Pondicherry, southeastern India, moving beyond products such as laptops and smartphones. The Chinese company would also build out its facilities in the Bangalore region, including a research lab with a focus on AI. Lenovo’s plans mark another win for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who tries to attract more technology investment into the country. While India’s tense relationship with China has suffered setbacks