Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp (TWSE, 台灣證交所) said on Friday that cosmetics maker Thai Ho Group Inc (太和集團) had applied to trade shares on the local bourse.
If Thai Ho’s plan to list is successful, it will become the first beauty product maker to trade shares in Taiwan, the stock exchange said in a statement on its Web site.
Thai Ho, which counts Avon, Mary Kay, Boots, Revlon and other cosmetic brands among its customers, was founded in Taiwan in 1980 and relocated to China in the early 1990s. The company has US$11 million in capitalization, with US$5 million in pre-tax profit, the stock exchange said without specifying how recent the figures were.
Including Thai Ho, 20 overseas companies have applied to TWSE for primary listings since the second half of last year, as the stock exchange aims to develop Taiwan into a major fundraising platform for overseas companies in the region.
Meanwhile, three overseas firms have also applied for secondary listing on Taiwan’s bourse by issuing Taiwan Depository Receipts (TDRs) because they are already listed elsewhere, the stock exchange said.
Hong Kong-based New Focus Auto Tech Holdings Ltd (新焦點汽車) became the latest to apply for a TDR listing.
New Focus would be the third overseas company to list TDRs on the local bourse this year following Want Want China Holdings Ltd (中國旺旺控股) and Ju Teng International Holdings Ltd (巨騰).
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
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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
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