Apple’s vendors sap TAIEX
Losses incurred by some firms in the Apple supply chain continued to place downward pressure on the broader market amid lingering concerns over global demand for high-tech devices, dealers said.
However, select market heavyweights, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), and financial stocks attracted bargain hunters to prevent the TAIEX from falling further, they said.
The weighted index closed down 8.44 points, or 0.12 percent, at 6,970.69, after moving between 6,963.57 and 7,023.78, on turnover of NT$60.35 billion (US$2.0 billion).
Among the firms in the Apple supply chain, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海) fell 1.71 percent to close at NT$80.50 and battery supplier Simplo Technology Co (新普) shed 2.30 percent to end at NT$170.
Bucking the downtrend of the broader market, TSMC closed up 2.28 percent at NT$76.30 and SinoPac Financial Holdings Co (永豐金控) ended up 2.13 percent at NT$12.
Evergreen gets new ship
Evergreen Group (長榮集團) on Wednesday announced it has taken delivery of a new 8,452 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessel from South Korea-based shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co.
It was the first 8,000-TEU container ship delivered to Evergreen, with Samsung Heavy Industries scheduled to deliver the other 19 vessels in the next two years.
The new boat, named Ever Lambent (長華輪), is owned by Evergreen Marine (UK) Ltd and expected to join the route between the Far East and Europe from next month, the group said.
Evergreen commenced a new shipbuilding project from 2010. It also placed an order for another 10 vessels of the same specifications with CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) to be delivered from next year to 2015.
Cathay Securities inks MOU
Cathay Securities Co (國泰證券), the brokerage arm of Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控), said on Wednesday it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Haitong Securities Co (海通證券), the second-largest securities firm in China, on a business partnership.
Cathay Securities said the partnership would involve securities brokering business, development of new financial instruments, financial planning and advice and financial market research.
Eversol venture opens factory
Eversol Corp (旭晶能源), a Taiwanese manufacturer of silicon wafers for the solar industry, said on Wednesday its Japanese joint venture opened a new solar module factory in Matsuyama City, Eihime Prefecture.
The E-Solar Co facility will manufacture multicrystalline silicon wafers that will generate an estimated 50 megawatts of electricity per year, targeting Japan’s domestic market, Eversol said.
Eversol holds 61 percent of the shares in E-Solar, which is a joint venture with West Holdings Corp, a Japanese company that specializes in solar panel installation.
NT dollar gains ground
The New Taiwan dollar turned strong against the US dollar yesterday after falling for three days, adding NT$0.056 to close at NT$30.150 as the local currency staged a technical rebound in line with its counterparts in the region, dealers said.
The strength of the regional currencies reflected a recovering euro, which regained ground against the greenback on expectations that leaders in the EU will agree to inject more funds to prevent the debt problems from deteriorating, they said
Turnover totaled US$727 million during the trading session.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
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US CONSCULTANT: The US Department of Commerce’s Ursula Burns is a rarely seen US government consultant to be put forward to sit on the board, nominated as an independent director Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday nominated 10 candidates for its new board of directors, including Ursula Burns from the US Department of Commerce. It is rare that TSMC has nominated a US government consultant to sit on its board. Burns was nominated as one of seven independent directors. She is vice chair of the department’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness. Burns is to stand for election at TSMC’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 4 along with the rest of the candidates. TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) was not on the list after in December last