The TAIEX climbed for the fifth day in six. United Microelectronics Corp (聯電) gained after the chipmaker's chairman said he is optimistic about demand for at least two more years.
The TAIEX climbed 42.33, or 0.7 percent, to 6087.45. The futures index expiring this month rallied 1.2 percent to 6142.
First Financial Holding Co (第一金控) and Taiwan Business Bank (台北企銀) declined after the government said it plans to sell shares in the two lenders.
Acer Inc rose NT$0.50, or 1 percent, to NT$50.50. Taiwan's only electronics company with a globally recognized brand name said it expects sales to rise by as much as 25 percent this quarter from the previous three months on rising demand for notebook computers.
Separately, Acer said it plans to cut its stakes in ALi Corp (揚智), Wistron Corp (緯創資通), BenQ Corp (明基電通) and Ambit Microsystems Corp (國電) to 5 percent in the next three years, a Chinese-language newspaper reported, citing Acer Chief Financial Officer Philip Peng (彭錦彬). The company may make a profit of NT$6 billion (US$177 million) annually from the sales, the paper said.
Acer now holds 46 percent of Wistron, 46 percent of BenQ, 13.2 percent of Ambit, and 35.75 percent of ALi, the newspaper said.
Ambit Microsystems declined NT$1.50, or 1.6 percent, to NT$91.50. Wistron slid NT$0.20, or 0.7 percent, to NT$29.30.
China Airlines Co (華航), Taiwan's biggest carrier, added NT$0.20, or 1.3 percent, to NT$15.40. Third-quarter profit rose 43 percent to NT$1.31 billion from a year ago.
First Financial dropped NT$0.30, or 1.3 percent, to NT$22.50. The Ministry of Finance said it plans to sell 77.5 million shares of First Financial, Taiwan's seventh-biggest financial services company by market value, and 52.6 million shares of Taiwan Business Bank. Taiwan Business Bank declined NT$0.20, or 2.2 percent, to NT$9.10.
Separately, First Financial said it lost NT$18.6 billion in the third-quarter from the year before, as it increased funds set aside for bad loans at its bank unit.
Nan Ya Plastics Corp (南亞塑膠) advanced NT$1.80, or 4 percent, to NT$47.10. Taiwan's biggest maker of chemicals for plastics said last week third-quarter profit jumped 74 percent from a year ago because of increased demand for plastics, polyester and electronics materials.
UMC, the world's second-largest supplier of made-to-order semiconductors, added NT$0.20, or 0.6 percent, to NT$31.30. Chairman Robert Tsao (曹興誠) said he is optimistic about semiconductor demand for at least two more years as his company rebounds from a three-year slump, a Chinese-language newspaper reported. United Microelectronics last week said its third-quarter profit tripled as demand rose. The company couldn't be reached for a comment.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
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