Consumer confidence lags China
Consumer confidence in Taiwan was lower than in China and Macau in the second quarter, but higher than in Hong Kong, according to a survey released in Beijing yesterday. In Taiwan, the consumer confidence index stood at 84.7, compared with 93.3 in China, 85.3 in Macau and 84 in Hong Kong, according to the survey that was conducted jointly by Taiwan’s Fu Jen Catholic University, China’s Capital University of Economics and Business, City University of Hong Kong and Macau University of Science and Technology.
The survey looked at a wide range of factors, such as economic development, employment, consumer prices, living standards, home market and equity investments.
ASE revenue up 17 percent
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE, 日月光半導體), the world’s largest chip packager, yesterday said revenue contracted 3.1 percent last month to NT$19.49 billion (US$650.2 million) from a record high level in May, but rose 17.36 percent from a year earlier.
The company’s revenue for the second quarter rose 7.2 percent quarter-on-quarter and 15.5 percent year-on-year to NT$58.62 billion, ASE said.
In particular, revenue from the company’s core chip testing and packaging businesses jumped 14.3 percent to NT$39.27 billion last quarter from a quarter ago, exceeding the company’s forecast of a 10 percent sequential increase to hit a record. On an annual basis, core business revenue increased 8.2 percent, ASE said.
Lite-On revenue up 18 percent
Optoelectronic parts manufacturer Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) yesterday said consolidated revenue for last month grew 3 percent month-on-month and 18 percent year-on-year to NT$20.24 billion, as all core businesses showed steady growth amid increased end-market demand.
The company said in a statement that the optoelectronics business segment, which contributed a 29 percent share of Lite-On’s overall revenue last month, saw revenue growth of 57 percent annually, while the information technologies business segment accounted for 46 percent of overall revenue reported growth of 23 percent year-on-year. Cumulative consolidated revenue from January through last month totaled NT$110.24 billion, up 14 percent from a year earlier, Lite-On said.
TPK revenue up 25.5 percent
Touch-panel supplier TPK Holding Co (宸鴻) on Monday said its consolidated revenue dropped 0.6 percent to NT$10.816 billion (US$361 million) last month from May, but representing an increase of 25.5 percent from the same month last year.
TPK, which counts Apple Inc as its top client, said cumulative revenue in the April-to-June quarter totaled NT$30.704 billion, up 15.3 percent from the previous quarter, but down 19.8 percent from a year earlier, the statement said.
Last quarter’s result beat the company’s guidance made in April of up to 5 percent revenue growth from last quarter.
Shipments to slow: Digitimes
Global tablet shipments are expected to see growth slow down this year, with annual increase forecast at below 20 percent, Digitimes Research said on Monday.
Global tablet shipments will grow by an annual 12 percent this year to 277 million units, compared with a 22.6 percent increase last year, 118 percent expansion in 2012 and 255.8 percent surge in 2011, Digitimes Research said.
The researcher said the slowdown in growth this year will result largely from rock bottom prices of unbranded tablets and a saturated market for Apple Inc’s iPad, as well as rising demand for 4G smartphones and wearable devices later this year.
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