The country's exports unexpectedly jumped 17.9 percent last month on demand from China for electronics.
Overseas shipments rose to US$19.85 billion, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement yesterday. It was nearly double the previous month's 9.1 percent gain.
"Overseas demand showed better-than-expected resilience," said Cheng Cheng-mount (
The government has forecasted overseas shipments will grow 6.1 percent this year, less than half the pace last year. An economic slowdown in the US, Taiwan's No. 2 export market, could cut demand for flat panels, personal computers and semiconductors.
Taiwan's imports rose 23.8 percent last month from a year earlier after gaining 16.4 percent the previous month. The trade surplus for the month was $1.89 billion, the government said.
Exports of computer chips and other electronic parts increased 15 percent last month from a year earlier to US$5.3 billion, after climbing 11.7 percent in the previous month.
Exports of information technology and telecommunications products fell 19.3 percent after sliding 15 percent in December.
Taoyuan-based Quanta Computer Inc (
Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (奇美電子), the country's second-largest maker of flat-panel displays, yesterday forecast sales could fall 15 percent in the first quarter from the previous three months.
Economic growth will slow to 4.14 percent this year from an estimated 4.39 percent last year, the government forecast in November.
Sales to the US gained 2.2 percent last month from a year earlier, the finance ministry said today. Exports to Hong Kong and China jumped 23.2 percent last month.
Exports to Japan gained 16.1 percent last month from a year earlier after rising 5.7 percent in the previous month and those to Europe climbed 12.5 percent after rising 22.3 percent in December, the finance ministry said.
Shares in Taiwan closed at a new high yesterday, the first trading day of the new year, as contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) continued to break records amid an artificial intelligence (AI) boom, dealers said. The TAIEX closed up 386.21 points, or 1.33 percent, at 29,349.81, with turnover totaling NT$648.844 billion (US$20.65 billion). “Judging from a stronger Taiwan dollar against the US dollar, I think foreign institutional investors returned from the holidays and brought funds into the local market,” Concord Securities Co (康和證券) analyst Kerry Huang (黃志祺) said. “Foreign investors just rebuilt their positions with TSMC as their top target,
REVENUE PERFORMANCE: Cloud and network products, and electronic components saw strong increases, while smart consumer electronics and computing products fell Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday posted 26.51 percent quarterly growth in revenue for last quarter to NT$2.6 trillion (US$82.44 billion), the strongest on record for the period and above expectations, but the company forecast a slight revenue dip this quarter due to seasonal factors. On an annual basis, revenue last quarter grew 22.07 percent, the company said. Analysts on average estimated about NT$2.4 trillion increase. Hon Hai, which assembles servers for Nvidia Corp and iPhones for Apple Inc, is expanding its capacity in the US, adding artificial intelligence (AI) server production in Wisconsin and Texas, where it operates established campuses. This
US President Donald Trump on Friday blocked US photonics firm HieFo Corp’s US$3 million acquisition of assets in New Jersey-based aerospace and defense specialist Emcore Corp, citing national security and China-related concerns. In an order released by the White House, Trump said HieFo was “controlled by a citizen of the People’s Republic of China” and that its 2024 acquisition of Emcore’s businesses led the US president to believe that it might “take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.” The order did not name the person or detail Trump’s concerns. “The Transaction is hereby prohibited,”
Garment maker Makalot Industrial Co (聚陽) yesterday reported lower-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue of NT$7.93 billion (US$251.44 million), down 9.48 percent from NT$8.76 billion a year earlier. On a quarterly basis, revenue fell 10.83 percent from NT$8.89 billion, company data showed. The figure was also lower than market expectations of NT$8.05 billion, according to data compiled by Yuanta Securities Investment and Consulting Co (元大投顧), which had projected NT$8.22 billion. Makalot’s revenue this quarter would likely increase by a mid-teens percentage as the industry is entering its high season, Yuanta said. Overall, Makalot’s revenue last year totaled NT$34.43 billion, down 3.08 percent from its record NT$35.52
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