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■ Taiwan good for doing business
Taiwan is the third best place to do business in the Asia Pacific region through 2009, trailing behind Singapore and Hong Kong, according to a latest report released by the London-based Economist Information Unit (EIU) last month. The report also ranked Taiwan 5th out of 16 countries in the Australian and Asian region, and the 19th out of 60 countries in the world. This ranking reaffirms Taiwan's stable and high-quality investment environment, with a business environment grade that rose from 7.33 to 8.10, from "good" to "very good," in the 2005 to 2009 period. Among 10 indicators in EIU's report, Taiwan gained the highest score on the "macroeconomic environment" indicator, ranking 7th globally, and securing 7th for "labor market" and 8th for "taxes." The lowest ranking is "political environment," in which Taiwan was rated No. 23 in the world, followed by "financing" and "policy towards foreign investment" that Taiwan both ranked No. 20.

■ PowerBooks to be discounted
Fans of Apple Computer Inc can look forward to the latest PowerBook notebooks, as they will be discounted as much as 13 percent compared to previous models, the company said. The new 15 and 17-inch PowerBook notebooks will have a higher-quality display, longer battery life and now include a SuperDrive for creating DVDs. The 12-inch PowerBook will cost US$1,499, down from US$1,699, while a 15-inch model is US$1,999, down from US$2,299. The 17-inch version is US$2,499, reduced from US$2,699.
Taiwanese consumers will be able to enjoy the price drops, when these latest models hit the market within the next two months.

■ Chinatrust to sell shares
Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控), Taiwan's sixth-biggest financial services company, plans to raise NT$20 billion (US$595 million) selling shares, pending approval by shareholders. Chinatrust may sell 800 million preferred shares at NT$25 each in a private placement, the company said in a statement yesterday. The planned sale is aimed at "improving capital and strengthening financial structure," it said.

■ Investment in China down
Taiwan approved a total of 965 China-bound investment applications worth US$4.19 billion in the nine months to last month, down 12.44 percent from a year ago, the Investment Commission said yesterday. During the period, the commission approved 803 inbound direct investment applications worth US$2.53 billion, down 2.06 percent year-on-year. China has replaced the US as Taiwan's largest market since November 2002. It is also Taiwan's leading foreign investment destination, with an estimated US$80 billion invested over the years in various projects.

■ Anti-dumping duties imposed
Malaysia will impose anti-dumping duties of up to almost 50 percent on companies from Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand for exporting plastic products that have hurt domestic producers. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry decided to impose the duties, ranging between 5.13 and 49.25 percent, after investigating the impact of polyethylene terephthalate or PET plastic exports to Malaysia, said the New Straits Times. The duties on the companies, which produce PET for bottles, films and sheets and straps, will take effect from October 23 and last for a maximum of five years. The companies to be hit by the duties include Taiwan-based Forlin Corp (昌林) and Far Eastern Textile (遠紡), according to the newspaper.

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