Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大), the nation's third-largest mobile operator, projected yesterday that third-quarter pre-tax profits would grow 17.4 percent at a quarterly rate to NT$5.67 billion (US$173.1 million) due to an increase in subscribers and gains from asset sales.
Net income would also increase to NT$1.03 per share from NT$0.93 in the second quarter, according to a statement filed to the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
According to the statement, Taiwan Mobile plans to sell 100 million shares in rival Chunghwa Telecom (
The company generated NT$485 million by selling Chunhgwa Telecom shares on the local stock market earlier this month.
Revenues would also expand nearly 4 percent to NT$12.51 billion during this quarter from last quarter, according to the statement.
On the local bourse, Taiwan Mobile shares dropped 0.33 percent to NT$29.9 yesterday.
Separately, Daniel Tsai (
Under this law, the chairpersons and presidents of financial holding firms cannot serve simultaneously as chairpersons or presidents of non-financial businesses. The regulation took effect on Jan. 1, but company chiefs are allowed to finish their current tenures.
In the statement, the telecommunications firm said it held a meeting yesterday and elected Richard Tsai (蔡明興), vice chairman of Fubon Financial and Daniel Tsai's younger brother, as its new chairman.
The board elected Daniel Tsai as its new vice chairman, according to the statement.
Daniel Tsai was not the only business heavyweight whose position as chairman of both a financial holding company and a non-financial enterprise contravened the new law.
While those affected have been given a grace period of up to three years to comply, critics have argued that the new requirement will only lead to a phenomenon of "figurehead" chairpersons being installed at the helm of family-run businesses.
Among those affected by the new legislation are Eugene Wu (吳東進), who heads both Shin Kong Financial Holding Co (新光金控) and Great Taipei Gas Corp (大台北瓦斯); Jeffrey Koo (辜濂松), who chairs Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控) and four non-financial businesses; and Lin Ming-cheng (林明成), who leads Hua Nan Financial Holding Co (華南金控) and four non-financial entities.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The
RECORD LOW: Global firms’ increased inventories, tariff disputes not yet impacting Taiwan and new graduates not yet entering the market contributed to the decrease Taiwan’s unemployment rate last month dropped to 3.3 percent, the lowest for the month in 25 years, as strong exports and resilient domestic demand boosted hiring across various sectors, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. After seasonal adjustments, the jobless rate eased to 3.34 percent, the best performance in 24 years, suggesting a stable labor market, although a mild increase is expected with the graduation season from this month through August, the statistics agency said. “Potential shocks from tariff disputes between the US and China have yet to affect Taiwan’s job market,” Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling