The TAIEX rose for the first day in three. Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), the world's second-largest maker of notebook PC's, advanced after saying first-quarter profit surged 71 percent as sales climbed.
Yageo Corp (國巨) and Mosel Vitelic Inc (茂矽電子) declined on concern about their debt payments.
The TAIEX added 8.83, or 0.2 percent, to 4,564.93. About three stocks declined for every two that gained.
MSCI Taiwan futures for April delivery in Singapore rose 0.1 percent to 196.20, while the Taiwan Futures Index shed 0.02 percent to 4,570.
Gains were limited on concern severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was spreading in the country. The Taipei City Government said seven medical workers may have caught SARS from a patient, forcing the city to shut parts of a hospital.
Ali Corp (揚智科技), the nation's third-largest designer of personal-computer chipsets, fell NT$0.90, or 2.3 percent, to NT$37.70. Ali said it signed a contract with Intel Corp to make products that work with the US company's newest Pentium 4 processors, the EETimes Web site reported, without saying where it obtained the information.
Ali would be the third company in Taiwan to get permission to make chipsets that work with the latest Pentium 4 processors, the report said.
Shin Kong Financial Holdings Co (新光金控), the owner of the nation's No. 2 life insurer, fell NT$0.10, or 1.1 percent, to NT$9.10. Shin Kong plans to sell NT$5 billion of subordinated debt to bolster capital at its life insurance unit.
The company said it expects profit of NT$2.1 billion this year, rebounding from a loss of NT$14.1 billion for last year. The financial holding company, formed last year, didn't give a comparative figure for 2001 in a statement it issued.
KGI Securities Co (中信證券), the brokerage arm of the Koos Group (和信集團), fell NT$0.30, or 3.1 percent, to NT$9.50. KGI said it will buy rival Taiyu Securities Co (
RSS