TSMC’s market cap surges
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, hit a record high market capitalization yesterday after the stock steamed farther ahead amid optimism over its earnings outlook.
TSMC shares rose 3.52 percent to close at NT$132.50 (US$4.43) on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. After gaining NT$27 in its share price on the main board from the end of last year, TSMC’s market capitalization grew about NT$700 billion to hit a record of about NT$3.43 trillion after the market closed yesterday, the stock exchange’s data showed.
TSMC has become a favorite of foreign institutional investors in the local bourse. Between Jan. 1 and July 1, foreign institutional investors added about 187.07 million TSMC shares to their portfolios to boost their stake in the chipmaker to 77.45 percent from the 76.73 percent recorded at the end of last year.
Japan’s Sukiya opens in Taipei
Zensho Holdings Co, Japan’s largest operator of restaurant chains, is to open its first Sukiya restaurant in Taiwan next week, as the fast food chain specializing in curry and donburi, or rice and meat bowls, begins its four-day trial run today near the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit System’s Guting Station, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said.
An official opening ceremony is set for Thursday next week, with another restaurant due by the end of the year, the ministry said.
The company’s Web site says it has opened restaurants in Malaysia, China, Brazil and Thailand. As of June last year, there were 70 Sukiya restaurants overseas.
MediaTek eyes Singapore plan
MediaTek Inc (聯發科), the nation’s top handset chip supplier, on Tuesday said that it is planning to expand its research and development in Singapore and set up an innovation center there.
The firm said it is committed to spending S$250 million (US$200 million) over the next six years to expand its research and development operations there.
It added that the center is to focus on developing applications to explore business opportunities in the consumer, medical and “Internet of Things” markets.
It said the funds are to be spent largely on a wide range of high-end IC development, such as high-speed central processing units and graphics processing units.
Innolux to bring capacity home
Flat-panel maker Innolux Corp (群創) said on Tuesday that it would move 20 to 30 percent of its production capacity in China back to Taiwan to further streamline its manufacturing processes.
The company said it repatriate equipment used to produce small and medium-sized displays, which, when combined with automated machines in its Greater Tainan plant, are expected to improve yield rates and churn out value-added touch panels for clients such as Amazon Inc and Google Inc. The company also hoped the move would strengthen the flat-panel cluster that exists in the Greater Tainan area.
Brokerage sees PC demand up
The need to replace the outmoded Windows XP operating system will likely drive demand for notebook computers in the second half of this year and benefit some Taiwanese contract laptop manufacturers, Nomura Holdings Inc said.
The brokerage forecast that notebook shipments from top-tier original design manufacturers in Taiwan will grow by 7 percent sequentially in the third quarter and 5 percent in the fourth quarter.
That will give a boost to full-year notebook shipments for this year, which are expected to decline 2 percent year-on-year, compared with a 10 percent slump last year, Nomura said.
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