The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER,
For the first six months of the year, exports increased 7.5 percent to US$113.94 billion from a year ago, TIER said in a report, citing government statistics. Trade surplus jumped by 35.8 percent to US$10.54 billion in the period, TIER said.
For the whole year, the institute forecast exports would grow by 8.37 percent and imports increase by 8.04 percent with trade surplus swelling to US$23.77 billion from US$21.32 billion last year.
The economy was set to grow on the back of the improving employment market and vigorous stock market, TIER president David Hong (
Consumer prices, the prime pubic concern these days, were predicted to rise 2.86 percent in the third quarter and 3.75 percent in the fourth, as a result of a low comparison base a year earlier and rising prices of oil and raw materials, TIER said.
The consumer price index (CPI) contracted 0.33 percent and 0.1 percent in the third and fourth quarter last year respectively.
The average CPI for the second half of this year is forecast to grow by 3.3 percent, and whole-year CPI is to increase by 1.96 percent, the institute said.
"There is no inflation concern so far because the central bank is inclined to raise interest rates," said Chen Miao (
Sky-rocketing oil and commodity prices, however, have worried local manufacturers, depressing the business climate index for the manufacturing sector last month, which dropped 1.49 points to 115.75, TIER's survey showed.
The service industry was more positive, given that revenues for the banking, securities, insurance and transportation sectors have been rising, the survey showed.
The business climate index for the service industry last month was up 1.75 points to 116.27.
BIG BUCKS: Chairman Wei is expected to receive NT$34.12 million on a proposed NT$5 cash dividend plan, while the National Development Fund would get NT$8.27 billion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday announced that its board of directors approved US$15.25 billion in capital appropriations for long-term expansion to meet growing demand. The funds are to be used for installing advanced technology and packaging capacity, expanding mature and specialty technology, and constructing fabs with facility systems, TSMC said in a statement. The board also approved a proposal to distribute a NT$5 cash dividend per share, based on first-quarter earnings per share of NT$13.94, it said. That surpasses the NT$4.50 dividend for the fourth quarter of last year. TSMC has said that while it is eager
‘IMMENSE SWAY’: The top 50 companies, based on market cap, shape everything from technology to consumer trends, advisory firm Visual Capitalist said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) was ranked the 10th-most valuable company globally this year, market information advisory firm Visual Capitalist said. TSMC sat on a market cap of about US$915 billion as of Monday last week, making it the 10th-most valuable company in the world and No. 1 in Asia, the publisher said in its “50 Most Valuable Companies in the World” list. Visual Capitalist described TSMC as the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry operator that rolls out chips for major tech names such as US consumer electronics brand Apple Inc, and artificial intelligence (AI) chip designers Nvidia Corp and Advanced
Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Aramco), the Saudi state-owned oil giant, yesterday posted first-quarter profits of US$26 billion, down 4.6 percent from the prior year as falling global oil prices undermine the kingdom’s multitrillion-dollar development plans. Aramco had revenues of US$108.1 billion over the quarter, the company reported in a filing on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange. The company saw US$107.2 billion in revenues and profits of US$27.2 billion for the same period last year. Saudi Arabia has promised to invest US$600 billion in the US over the course of US President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump, who is set to touch
SKEPTICAL: An economist said it is possible US and Chinese officials would walk away from the meeting saying talks were productive, without reducing tariffs at all US President Donald Trump hailed a “total reset” in US-China trade relations, ahead of a second day of talks yesterday between top officials from Washington and Beijing aimed at de-escalating trade tensions sparked by his aggressive tariff rollout. In a Truth Social post early yesterday, Trump praised the “very good” discussions and deemed them “a total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner.” The second day of closed-door meetings between US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) were due to restart yesterday morning, said a person familiar
RSS