Export orders increased 6.1 percent annually to US$154.04 billion last quarter, the highest in seven quarters, as strong demand for cloud-based applications, servers and artificial intelligence (AI) chips drove last month’s orders to the highest level in about two years, the Ministry of Economic Aff
French drugmaker Sanofi’s confirmation yesterday that it plans to sell a controlling stake in its over-the-counter unit to a US investment fund sparked a new political backlash, stoked by fears the deal marks a loss of sovereignty over key medications.Paris “must block the sale” using powers to prot
China’s central bank yesterday said it had cut two key interest rates to historic lows, in the latest move by Beijing to boost sluggish spending and kickstart the world’s second-largest economy.The cuts come just days after the country posted its slowest quarterly growth in a year and a half, underl
Public confidence in the economy and stock investment picked up this month, encouraged by healthy economic data and corporate earnings results, a survey by Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) showed yesterday.A total of 55.7 percent of the 15,933 people polled from Oct. 1 to 7 expect Taiwan’s economy
Gold prices reached a record high yesterday, with safe-haven demand continuing to support prices as traders monitored escalating tensions in the Middle East and the increasingly tight US presidential election race. Bullion climbed to an all-time high of about US$2,732.82 an ounce, topping last week’
From left, EVA Airways Corp president Clay Sun, Civil Aviation Administration Director-General Ho Shu-ping and Airbus SE chief executive officer for commercial aircraft business Christian Scherer gesture at an event in Taipei yesterday. The two companies signed an agreement to explore optimal decarb
AGREEMENT: The proposal includes a wage increase of 35 percent spread over four years, a guaranteed annual bonus of at least 4 percent and an additional US$7,000 bonus
Boeing Co and the union representing 33,000 striking workers reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with help from the White House, underscoring the high stakes to end a work stoppage that has crippled one of the largest US exporters.The proposal hammered out overnight in Seattle includes a
Starbucks Corp might have the more recognizable name, but 7-Eleven’s City Cafe remains the king of Taiwan’s fresh coffee market, helped by the convenience store chain’s extensive market presence and product diversification.President Chain Store Corp (PCSC, 統一超商), which runs both the 7-Eleven and Sta
The nation’s two major refiners yesterday said they would lower domestic fuel prices for a fourth consecutive week, as international crude oil prices posted the largest weekly decline in more than a year last week.Domestic gasoline and diesel prices are to drop NT$0.1 per liter this week, CPC Corp,
Asia’s stock markets are gearing up for their busiest week of listings in more than two years, offering a crucial test of demand as companies rush to raise money before the US presidential election next month. About 20 companies from the Asia Pacific region are listing shares this week in deals that
The number of major retail investors in the local stock market in the third quarter fell from the previous quarter as Taiwanese shares showed significant fluctuations, data compiled by the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) showed on Tuesday last week.A total of 3,519 “big players” participated in the mai
Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che, center, front row, and several mascots gesture at a road running event in Tainan yesterday to promote the 400th anniversary of the city’s founding.
Every Christmas growing up in Minnesota, Jimmy Darts’ parents gave him US$200 in cash: US$100 for himself and US$100 for a stranger. Now, with more than 12 million followers on TikTok and several million more on other platforms, philanthropy is his full-time job. Darts, whose real surname is Kellogg
Mari was just two months into her new job when she decided she had had enough. The position at an online bank in Tokyo, found through a staffing agency, had looked like a perfect fit for the 25-year-old, a member of Japan’s legions of temporary workers. However, she quickly became despondent. “On my
US PROBE: The Information reported that the US Department of Commerce is investigating whether the firm made advanced chips for China’s Huawei
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract maker of advanced chips, yesterday said it is a law-abiding company, and is committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations including export controls.The Hsinchu-based chip giant issued the statement afte
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), the world’s biggest contract server maker, yesterday said the conversion price of its overseas bonds are set at NT$300 a share, representing a premium of 43.8 percent compared with the closing price of NT$208.5 on Thursday.The company has raised US$700 million t
Taiwan climbed one notch to 39th among 48 economies in the annual Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index, which grades individual pension systems in terms of adequacy, sustainability and integrity against more than 50 indicators, a survey released on Tuesday by US human resource consulting firm M
Samsung Electronics Co has postponed taking deliveries of ASML Holding NV chipmaking equipment for its upcoming factory in Texas as it has yet to win any major customers for the project, three people familiar with the matter said.Samsung has been also holding off on placing orders to some other supp
China’s economy grew at the slowest pace since early last year in the third quarter, and although consumption and factory output figures beat forecasts last month a tumbling property sector remains a major challenge for Beijing as it races to revitalize growth.Authorities have sharply ramped up poli
A boy sorts kans grass, a seasonal plant mainly used in traditional crafts and ceremonies, collected along the banks of River Yamuna in New Delhi yesterday.