Stocks declined, led by exporters such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC,
Exports last month rose 4.5 percent from a year ago to US$11.6 billion, the government said on Thursday after the market closed.
The TAIEX shed 26.52, or 0.5 percent, to 5,232.55. The index fell for a second week, losing 2.9 percent. Index futures expiring in August fell 1.4 percent to 5,206. About three stocks fell for every two that gained.
An average of 3.5 billion shares changed hands a day this week, the slowest trading week since the five days ended May 23.
"Investors are reluctant to put more money into equities until economic reports show a solid recovery," said Jim Chang, who helps manage the equivalent of US$495 million at ABN Amro Asset Management Taiwan Ltd in Taipei.
Also, "an increasing number of investors are going on their summer vacations," he said.
TSMC fell NT$2, or 3.3 percent, to NT$58. Rival UMC fell NT$0.40, or 1.8 percent, to NT$22.50.
AU Optronics Corp (友達光電), the world's fourth-largest maker of flat-panel displays for personal computers, rose for a second day after quadrupling its pretax profit forecast this year because of demand for computer panels. AU Optronics added NT$1.40, or 4 percent, to NT$36.30.
China Steel Corp (
Siliconware Precision Industries Co (矽品), the world's third-largest chip packager, gained NT$1.60, or 6.7 percent, to NT$25.40 after it said second-quarter profit more than tripled. Siliconware Precision said net income increased to NT$639 million ($19 million) in the three months ended June 30 from NT$185 million a year earlier.
Yulon Motor Co (裕隆) added NT$0.30, or 0.8 percent, to NT$40.30 after it said sales last month rose 23 percent to NT$3.7 billion from a year ago.
ENERGY ISSUES: The TSIA urged the government to increase natural gas and helium reserves to reduce the impact of the Middle East war on semiconductor supply stability Chip testing and packaging service provider ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控) yesterday said it planned to invest more than NT$100 billion (US$3.15 billion) in building a new advanced chip testing facility in Kaohsiung to keep up with customer demand driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. That would be included in the company’s capital expenditure budget next year, ASE said. There is also room to raise this year’s capital spending budget from a record-high US$7 billion estimated three months ago, it added. ASE would have six factories under construction this year, another record-breaking number, ASE chief operating officer Tien Wu
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For weeks now, the global tech industry has been waiting for a major artificial intelligence (AI) launch from DeepSeek (深度求索), seen as a benchmark for China’s progress in the fast-moving field. More than a year has passed since the start-up put Chinese AI on the map in early last year with a low-cost chatbot that performed at a similar level to US rivals. However, despite reports and rumors about its imminent release, DeepSeek’s next-generation “V4” model is nowhere in sight. Speculation is also swirling over the geopolitical implications of which computer chips were chosen to train and power the new
TECH WINNERS: Taiwan and South Korea reported robust trade, which suggests that they have critical advantages in the rapidly expanding AI supply chain, an official said Exports last month surged to a new high, as booming demand tied to artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure fueled shipments of advanced technology components, underscoring the nation’s pivotal role in the global semiconductor supply chain. Outbound shipments climbed to US$80.18 billion, the highest ever for a single month, rising 61.8 percent from a year earlier and marking the 29th consecutive month of growth, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. “The surge was driven primarily by global investment in AI infrastructure,” Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) said. The mass production of next-generation AI computing systems has accelerated procurement across the semiconductor supply
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