Taiwan’s economic recovery is expected to be in better shape in the next two quarters as economists are now more optimistic about the long-term outlook, the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said, citing a report released by a Germany think tank.
The score for the nation’s overall economic situation rose to 8.1 based on the World Economic Survey published by released by IFO Institute for Economic Research on Wednesday, from 7.2 last quarter.
“Most interviewees believe the situation will improve in the next six months,” the council, which helped conduct the survey in Taiwan, said in a statement.
However, Taiwan’s economy in general is expected to stay in the doldrums, the survey showed.
The economic situation improved to 2.5 this quarter, from last quarter’s 1.6, but that is still in negative territory, the survey said.
Using a scale from 1 to 9, the IFO defines a score of 1 to 3.5 as “bad,” 3.5 to 6 as “satisfactory” and 6 to 9 as “good.”
The nation’s score for capital spending was 2.2 points, up from 1.8 points last quarter.
However, the score for private consumption decreased 0.2 points from 2.4 points last quarter to 2.2 points this quarter.
The outlook for the nation’s economy in the next two quarters is much better, as economists expect most key economic indicators — general economic situation, stock prices, private consumption, exports, capital spending and short and long term interest rates — to rise.
The New Taiwan dollar would remain stable against its US counterpart and inflation would also hold steady, the survey said.
The Munich-based think tank said in the report that prospects for the global economy seem to be turning positive, as its world economic climate indicator this quarter rose significantly after two consecutive declines in the previous two quarters.
The world economic climate indicator scored 94.1 points this quarter, up from 82.4 last quarter, the survey showed.
The current situation sub-index was 80.4 points this quarter, up from 76.6 points last quarter, it said.
The score of expectation sub-index was 107 points, up from 87.7 points last quarter, the survey said.
It added that the increase of the sub-index was the main reason for the world economic climate indicator climbing this quarter.
The largest rebound in the world climate indicator was seen in Asia, with both its current situation and expectation sub-indices rising significantly, the report said.
Asia’s world climate indicator scored 97.4 points this quarter, up from 81.6 points last quarter and higher than the long-term average of 90 points, the survey said.
The survey received responses from 1,169 analysts in 124 countries, 13 of them in Taiwan.
A proposed 100 percent tariff on chip imports announced by US President Donald Trump could shift more of Taiwan’s semiconductor production overseas, a Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) researcher said yesterday. Trump’s tariff policy will accelerate the global semiconductor industry’s pace to establish roots in the US, leading to higher supply chain costs and ultimately raising prices of consumer electronics and creating uncertainty for future market demand, Arisa Liu (劉佩真) at the institute’s Taiwan Industry Economics Database said in a telephone interview. Trump’s move signals his intention to "restore the glory of the US semiconductor industry," Liu noted, saying that
On Ireland’s blustery western seaboard, researchers are gleefully flying giant kites — not for fun, but in the hope of generating renewable electricity and sparking a “revolution” in wind energy. “We use a kite to capture the wind and a generator at the bottom of it that captures the power,” said Padraic Doherty of Kitepower, the Dutch firm behind the venture. At its test site in operation since September 2023 near the small town of Bangor Erris, the team transports the vast 60-square-meter kite from a hangar across the lunar-like bogland to a generator. The kite is then attached by a
Foxconn Technology Co (鴻準精密), a metal casing supplier owned by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), yesterday announced plans to invest US$1 billion in the US over the next decade as part of its business transformation strategy. The Apple Inc supplier said in a statement that its board approved the investment on Thursday, as part of a transformation strategy focused on precision mold development, smart manufacturing, robotics and advanced automation. The strategy would have a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), the company added. The company said it aims to build a flexible, intelligent production ecosystem to boost competitiveness and sustainability. Foxconn
STILL UNCLEAR: Several aspects of the policy still need to be clarified, such as whether the exemptions would expand to related products, PwC Taiwan warned The TAIEX surged yesterday, led by gains in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), after US President Donald Trump announced a sweeping 100 percent tariff on imported semiconductors — while exempting companies operating or building plants in the US, which includes TSMC. The benchmark index jumped 556.41 points, or 2.37 percent, to close at 24,003.77, breaching the 24,000-point level and hitting its highest close this year, Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) data showed. TSMC rose NT$55, or 4.89 percent, to close at a record NT$1,180, as the company is already investing heavily in a multibillion-dollar plant in Arizona that led investors to assume