■ Window-dressing lifts shares
Shares closed 1.06 percent higher yesterday on the back of year-end window-dressing, dealers said.
Property developers and companies with high stakes in real estate grabbed the spotlight again, as they are expected to benefit from the launch of the high speed rail link between Taipei and Kaohsiung expected next month.
The TAIEX rose 80.78 points to 7,727.59 yesterday, a fresh six-year high, with turnover of NT$109.82 billion (US$3.37 billion).
Risers led decliners 772 to 384, with 190 stocks unchanged.
■ Micro-Star secures PRC tender
Micro-Star International Co (微星科技), the nation's top-tier motherboard maker, said yesterday that its notebook computers and server products had been selected by the Central Trust of China (中央信託局) in a recent tender.
Central Trust -- whose business operations include banking, insurance, trade and warehousing -- is in charge of purchasing computers and related IT products for government agencies and educational institutions.
"This is a chance for us to break into the market traditionally dominated by Acer and Asustek Computer," Micro-Star said in a statement.
The last tender saw Central Trust purchase 70,000 PCs for government and business.
■ No change for Fubon, Cathay
Taiwan Ratings Corp (中華信評) yesterday affirmed its credit ratings for Fubon Number One Real Estate Investment Trust (Fubon No. 1 REIT), Fubon No. 2 REIT and Cathay No.1 REIT, each with a stable outlook, the ratings agency said in separate releases.
Taiwan Ratings said the positive ratings on the three REIT products reflected their good asset quality, a satisfactory tenant mix, conservative financial policy and strong links with respective financial group members in the Fubon group or the Cathay group.
Fubon No. 1 REIT was the first REIT to be set up in Taiwan in March last year. The trust has a property portfolio of NT$8.09 billion (US$247.8 million), consisting of two office buildings, one retail serviced property and one serviced apartment.
The property portfolio of Fubon No. 2 REIT amounts to about NT$7.3 billion, while Cathay No. 1 REIT holds a NT$13.9 billion property portfolio consisting of Sheraton Taipei Hotel, Taipei Ximen Building, and Taipei Chunghwa Building, Taiwan Ratings said.
■ Delegation set for Israel
The Ministry of Economic Affairs will send a business delegation to Israel from Jan. 21 to Jan. 28 to seek opportunities for investment or technological cooperation, ministry officials said yesterday.
Israel's high-tech businesses in the software design, information communications and biotechnology sectors enjoy a leading position on the international market.
It would be mutually beneficial if Taiwan, which is professional in marketing and high-tech product manufacturing, and Israeli technological research professionals could forge cooperative relationships, the ministry said.
The delegation is scheduled to visit Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa, where it will hold presentations to introduce Taiwan's investment environment, especially in the sectors of information communications and semiconductors.
■ NT dollar drops further
The New Taiwan dollar continued losing ground against its US counterpart yesterday in quiet trade in line with a weak Japanese yen, after latest Japanese economic data confirmed that the Bank of Japan will not hike interest rates next month.
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