Share prices close higher
Taiwan’s share prices closed higher yesterday with the TAIEX index moving up 32.13 points, or 0.39 percent, to close at 8,121.78.
The local bourse opened at 8,131.4 and fluctuated between a low of 8,091.28 and a high of 8,133.45 during the day’s trading. Market turnover totaled NT$129.83 billion (US$4.11 billion). Gainers outnumbered losers 1,590 to 1,512, with 318 remaining unchanged.
Foreign investors and Chinese qualified domestic institutional investors were net buyers of NT$11.39 billion in shares.
Central bank issues certificates
The central bank issued a total NT$380 billion (US$11.9 billion) of certificates of deposit in four tranches yesterday, including the NT$100 billion 364-day certificates auctioned on Tuesday, the monetary authority said in a statement on its Web site. That was more than the NT$312.25 billion that matured yesterday.
The last time the central bank issued NT$100 billion in certificates with one-year maturity was in September 2008. Normally, the bank sells 30-day, 91-day and 182-day certificates as part of open market operations to drain excess liquidity.
Energy use still rising
Taiwan’s energy use rose for a sixth month in February after factories increased production of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays to meet orders.
Consumption of coal, petroleum, gas, thermal energy and electricity climbed 7.8 percent from a year earlier to the equivalent of 8.84 million kiloliters of oil, or about 1.99 million barrels a day, according to an e-mailed report from the Bureau of Energy yesterday.
Power consumption fell 1.5 percent to 15.9 billion kilowatt-hours in February, while the use of natural gas increased 12 percent to 122.5 million cubic meters and coal consumption climbed 7.9 percent to 4.29 million tonnes.
Use of petroleum products rose 18 percent from a year earlier to the equivalent of 4.18 million kiloliters of oil in February, according to the energy bureau.
Chinatrust investment
Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控) said its board approved plans to invest up to US$225 million buying shares in Chinatrust Capital Corp, the financial services company said in a filing to the Taiwan stock exchange yesterday.
The funds will be used to help dispose of the bank’s non-performing assets and raise its capital adequacy ratio, it said.
Separately, Chinatrust Commercial Bank (中國信託商銀) and Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行) will lead a group of lenders to sign a five-year, NT$3.5 billion syndicated loan with Asia Pacific Telecom Co (亞太電信) on Monday, Chinatrust Financial said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.
New flights for TransAsia
TransAsia Airways (復興航空) said yesterday it would launch non-stop flights from Kaohsiung to Xiamen and Fuzhou in China this week.
According to the Taipei-based carrier, it will use 182-seat Airbus 321 planes to ply the two routes.
The airline said the first Kaohsiung-Fuzhou flight will be today and the first Kaohsiung-Xiamen flight tomorrow.
China Airlines cuts ticket prices
China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), Taiwan’s largest carrier, said yesterday it would cut economy class ticket prices by 20 percent on direct flights from Taiwan to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, beginning on April 16.
NT dollar gains slightly
The New Taiwan dollar gained against the US dollar on the Taipei Foreign Exchange yesterday, rising NT$0.067 to close at NT$31.628. Turnover was US$1.088 billion.
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