CPI falls as fuel prices rise
Consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.32 percent last month from February and fell 0.19 percent from a year earlier, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics reported yesterday.
Higher oil prices last month were offset by lower food, vegetable and wine prices, the DGBAS said. Gasoline and transport fuel prices rose 5.5 percent from the previous month.
The first quarter CPI fell 0.21 percent from the previous year's figure, because of declining housing rentals, the DGBAS said. Housing rentals fell 0.1 percent last month.
The wholesale price index rose 0.83 percent last month from February, and rose 4.89 percent from a year earlier, due to rises in prices for crude oil, petrochemical materials and steel, the DGBAS said.
Uni-President appoints new CEO
Uni-President Group (統一集團), the country's biggest food maker, held a board meeting yesterday and appointed Jason Lin (林蒼生) as chief executive officer, replacing Kao Ching-yuan (高清愿), Uni-President said in a statement.
Uni-President, which reported annual sales of NT$205 billion (US$5.9 billion) last year, said in the statement that Kao will remain as vice chairman of the group's listed flagship company, Uni-President Enterprises Co (統一企業).
According to the statement, Lin has served as president of Uni-President for 14 years and his position will be taken over by Lin Lung-yi (林隆義), executive vice president. Lo Chih-hsien (羅智先), vice president, will serve the new executive vice president.
The personnel changes, the biggest in 15 years for Uni-President, will become effective on July 1, the statement said.
Beko drops Grundig plan
Beko Elektronik AS, Turkey's No. 1 maker of electronic goods, said it dropped a plan to buy a majority stake in German television maker Grundig AG.
Beko, which said last month it would examine the German company's books, today told the Istanbul Stock Exchange it has abandoned the purchase, without saying why. Beko was unwilling to take over Grundig's plant in Vienna, Financial Times Deutschland reported today, without citing its source.
Last month talks between Grundig and Sampo Corp (聲寶), Taiwan's largest consumer electronics maker, on a stake sale broke down, as Sampo wasn't willing to pay 200 million euros for Grundig's pension liabilities as well as an outstanding 45 million euro loan for capital equipment, Financial Times Deutschland said.
Local delegation in Manila
Members of a Taiwan trade mission held talks yesterday in Manila with Philippine business leaders and trade officials.
Led by officials of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and China External Trade Development Council, the trade mission was composed of trade promoters from more than 30 small- and medium-sized enterprises. The mission arrived in Manila Sunday for a four-day visit.
Hung Li-chun (洪麗春), a senior researcher at the Asian Development Bank, said during the trade talks that the economy of the Philippines is growing. Its GNP is expected to increase 4 percent this year and 4.5 percent next year. Export trade is growing, too.
Members of the mission will continue to hold trade talks today to find out more trade opportunities. They will leave for Bangkok tomorrow.
NT dollar falls
The New Taiwan dollar yesterday traded lower against its US counterpart, declining NT$0.019 to close at NT$34.844 on the Taipei foreign exchange market. Turnover was US$385 million.
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