The TAIEX fell yesterday to complete its worst week in two and a half years. China Airlines (華航) fell on worry that direct links with China may not happen soon with the re-election of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Exporters' stocks, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (
The TAIEX shed 24.11, or 0.4 percent, to 6,132.62. More than three stocks declined for every one that gained. For the week, the index dropped 10 percent, its biggest slide since the five days to Sept. 14, 2001.
"Having parliament enabling a recount will help calm Nationalist protesters," said Celine Chiang (江宜津), a fund manager for Polaris International Securities Investment Trust Co (
"Political uncertainty will remain until the election result is affirmed or reversed by recount," she said.
Dealers said the market could rise on Monday if today's pan-blue camp rally is peaceful, and brings the parties closer to a deal, but few expect a quick resolution.
China Airlines, the nation's largest carrier, fell NT$1.20, or 6.2 percent, to NT$18.30. The stock has fallen 29 percent since last Saturday's election.
EVA Airways Corp (長榮) fell for the fifth day, shedding NT$1.10, or 6.4 percent, to NT$16.
TSMC, the world's largest supplier of made- to-order computer chips, rose NT$0.50, or 0.9 percent, to NT$58.50.
Hon Hai Precision, the country's largest electronics manufacturer by sales, rose NT$1.50, or 1.1 percent, to NT$140.
Nvidia Corp earned its US$2.2 trillion market cap by producing artificial intelligence (AI) chips that have become the lifeblood powering the new era of generative AI developers from start-ups to Microsoft Corp, OpenAI and Google parent Alphabet Inc. Almost as important to its hardware is the company’s nearly 20 years’ worth of computer code, which helps make competition with the company nearly impossible. More than 4 million global developers rely on Nvidia’s CUDA software platform to build AI and other apps. Now a coalition of tech companies that includes Qualcomm Inc, Google and Intel Corp plans to loosen Nvidia’s chokehold by going
DECOUPLING? In a sign of deeper US-China technology decoupling, Apple has held initial talks about using Baidu’s generative AI technology in its iPhones, the Wall Street Journal said China has introduced guidelines to phase out US microprocessors from Intel Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) from government PCs and servers, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft Corp’s Windows operating system and foreign-made database software in favor of domestic options, the report said. Chinese officials have begun following the guidelines, which were unveiled in December last year, the report said. They order government agencies above the township level to include criteria requiring “safe and reliable” processors and operating systems when making purchases, the newspaper said. The US has been aiming to boost domestic semiconductor
ENERGY IMPACT: The electricity rate hike is expected to add about NT$4 billion to TSMC’s electricity bill a year and cut its annual earnings per share by about NT$0.154 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has left its long-term gross margin target unchanged despite the government deciding on Friday to raise electricity rates. One of the heaviest power consuming manufacturers in Taiwan, TSMC said it always respects the government’s energy policy and would continue to operate its fabs by making efforts in energy conservation. The chipmaker said it has left a long-term goal of more than 53 percent in gross margin unchanged. The Ministry of Economic Affairs concluded a power rate evaluation meeting on Friday, announcing electricity tariffs would go up by 11 percent on average to about NT$3.4518 per kilowatt-hour (kWh)
OPENING ADDRESS: The CEO is to give a speech on the future of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence at the trade show’s opening on June 3, TAITRA said Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) chairperson and chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) is to deliver the opening keynote speech at Computex Taipei this year, the event’s organizer said in a statement yesterday. Su is to give a speech on the future of high-performance computing (HPC) in the artificial intelligence (AI) era to open Computex, one of the world’s largest computer and technology trade events, at 9:30am on June 3, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said. Su is to explore how AMD and the company’s strategic technology partners are pushing the limits of AI and HPC, from data centers to