STOCK MARKET
TWSE approves chairman
The the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s (TWSE) board of directors on Friday approved the appointment of former minister without portfolio Hsu Chang-yao (許璋瑤) as its chairman. The 66-year-old Hsu from 2004 to 2008 served as head of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, and was named minister without portfolio in charge of accounting, statistics and financial affairs in May last year. The government had been looking for a new chairman for the exchange since former chairman Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉) became vice premier in September.
ENERGY
New CPC chair appointed
The Ministry of Economic Affairs on Friday appointed Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology principal Tai Chein (戴謙) to lead CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油). The state-run oil refiner is scheduled to convene a board meeting today to officially elect Tai as chairman, the ministry said. Tai was formerly vice minister of the National Science Council before he became principal of the university in August 2007. The ministry said Tai’s appointment reflects his expertise in science and his management capabilities.
AVIATION
CAL partners with Airbus
Airbus SE has chosen China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) to become one of its maintenance, repair and overhaul suppliers in Asia, a press release said on Thursday. CAL senior vice president Houng Wang (王宏) said the company will also provide aircraft conversion services for the European firm. After opening a new hangar next year, Wang said the company is confident that its growing capabilities will offer comprehensive solutions to support Airbus aircraft in Taiwan.
BIG BUCKS: Chairman Wei is expected to receive NT$34.12 million on a proposed NT$5 cash dividend plan, while the National Development Fund would get NT$8.27 billion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday announced that its board of directors approved US$15.25 billion in capital appropriations for long-term expansion to meet growing demand. The funds are to be used for installing advanced technology and packaging capacity, expanding mature and specialty technology, and constructing fabs with facility systems, TSMC said in a statement. The board also approved a proposal to distribute a NT$5 cash dividend per share, based on first-quarter earnings per share of NT$13.94, it said. That surpasses the NT$4.50 dividend for the fourth quarter of last year. TSMC has said that while it is eager
‘IMMENSE SWAY’: The top 50 companies, based on market cap, shape everything from technology to consumer trends, advisory firm Visual Capitalist said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) was ranked the 10th-most valuable company globally this year, market information advisory firm Visual Capitalist said. TSMC sat on a market cap of about US$915 billion as of Monday last week, making it the 10th-most valuable company in the world and No. 1 in Asia, the publisher said in its “50 Most Valuable Companies in the World” list. Visual Capitalist described TSMC as the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry operator that rolls out chips for major tech names such as US consumer electronics brand Apple Inc, and artificial intelligence (AI) chip designers Nvidia Corp and Advanced
Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Aramco), the Saudi state-owned oil giant, yesterday posted first-quarter profits of US$26 billion, down 4.6 percent from the prior year as falling global oil prices undermine the kingdom’s multitrillion-dollar development plans. Aramco had revenues of US$108.1 billion over the quarter, the company reported in a filing on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange. The company saw US$107.2 billion in revenues and profits of US$27.2 billion for the same period last year. Saudi Arabia has promised to invest US$600 billion in the US over the course of US President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump, who is set to touch
SKEPTICAL: An economist said it is possible US and Chinese officials would walk away from the meeting saying talks were productive, without reducing tariffs at all US President Donald Trump hailed a “total reset” in US-China trade relations, ahead of a second day of talks yesterday between top officials from Washington and Beijing aimed at de-escalating trade tensions sparked by his aggressive tariff rollout. In a Truth Social post early yesterday, Trump praised the “very good” discussions and deemed them “a total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner.” The second day of closed-door meetings between US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰) were due to restart yesterday morning, said a person familiar