QUESTIONS: Fourth quarter net profit was NT$3.13 billion, compared with losses of NT$7.89 billion a year ago, but investors are not happy with the reliance on asset gains
By Lisa Wang
Local electronics maker Qisda Corp (佳世達) yesterday posted a third straight quarter of profits because of massive asset gains, mostly from its panel-manufacturing arm, as AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) gradually recovers from its abortive takeover of Siemens AG's handset unit.

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By Joyce Huang
The lack of direct cross-strait flight and visa restrictions are the two biggest hurdles keeping foreign investors away from Taiwan, Peter Sutton, head of research at CLSA Ltd (里昂證券), told a European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) luncheon yesterday.

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Singapore is the best city in the world for Asian expatriates to live in due mainly to its quality of life and low crime rate, a survey released by ECA International yesterday showed.

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SOARING COSTS: Steel reinforcement bars are more expensive these days, and one industry insider said the market will have to reflect its costs
By Jerry Lin
The housing market experienced a new phenomenon last year, with prices surging even though the number of units sold fell -- and industry insiders expect more of the same this year.

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By Joyce Huang
BNP Paribas (法國巴黎銀行) Taipei branch yesterday vowed to boost year-on-year growth for its wealth management business by 15 percent after surpassing an annual 70 percent growth rate last year.

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By Jerry Lin and Kevin Chen
China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) shares rose sharply yesterday amid rumors that it had offered a 25 percent stake to Singapore Airlines Ltd, although CAL later denied the claim. Share prices also gained after the airline confirmed it has begun to raise ticket prices on major international routes because of soaring fuel costs.

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DEBT DISPUTE: Critics say a middle-man arrangement between Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz is essentially a mechanism for siphoning money into private pockets
Russia's natural gas giant OAO Gazprom yesterday threatened further gas cuts to Ukraine within hours unless an agreement was reached on a debt dispute and contracts for future deliveries.

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OPEC has virtually ruled out pumping more oil to ease record-high prices, key oil ministers signaled yesterday on the eve of a cartel meeting.

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The TAIEX ended the day 2.51 percent higher yesterday as investors hunted for bargains after a slide across much of Asia in the previous session over US recession fears, dealers said.

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By Kevin Chen
A budding partnership between Nanya Technology Co (南亞科技) and Micron Technology Inc could lead to fundamental change in the memory chip-making industry, a market researcher said yesterday.

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Subprime exposure reduced
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