UBS Securities said yesterday it has cut its target for the TAIEX to 7,800 points this year from the 8,200 points it previously estimated to reflect uncertainty over the global economy.
The local bourse is expected to encounter volatility amid concerns over the debt crisis in the eurozone before a mild rebound at the year’s end, according to the brokerage.
It was another downgrade of the TAIEX target after UBS Securities lowered the forecast from 9,000 points to 8,200 points last month.
The TAIEX closed up 191.72 points, or 2.6 percent, at 7,577.40 yesterday, on turnover of NT$130.24 billion (US$4.41 billion).
Share prices gained ground yesterday for the second consecutive session on strong institutional buying, after five central banks in Europe, the US and Japan announced plans to bolster financially troubled European banks, dealers said.
Led by financial heavyweights, buying quickly spread across the board as investor sentiment improved on hopes that the coordinated effort by the five central banks will provide relief to the debt-ridden countries in Europe and contain the financial crisis in the region, they said.
William Dong (董成康), head of research at UBS Securities Taiwan, said in a report that the recent depreciation of the New Taiwan dollar against the US dollar has helped local high-tech companies reduce foreign-exchange loss risks and enhance their bottom lines.
However, a falling NT dollar was the result of outflows of foreign funds, which has created a market with falling liquidity and paved the way for lower share prices, Dong said.
The NT dollar has fallen 1.94 percent against the greenback since the beginning of this month.
Dong said Taiwanese high-tech firms have been better prepared for the current global economic slowdown than they had been in 2008 after adopting effective measures to manage the supply chain and control inventory.
However, if demand from end-users continues to slow, bellwether electronics stocks are unlikely to post significant gains and boost the broader market, he said.
The high-tech sector is the backbone of Taiwan’s exports.
The brokerage recommends a buy on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電), smartphone maker HTC Corp (宏達電), touch panel firm TPK Holding Co (宸鴻), Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信), 7-Eleven chain operator President Chain Store Corp (統一超商), Cheng Shin Rubber Industry Co (正新橡膠), food maker Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業) and Chinatrust Financial Holding Co (中信金控).
UBS Securities has placed a sell recommendation on contract notebook computer maker Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), PC vendor Acer Inc (宏碁), Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (陽明海運), China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) and SinoPac Holdings Co (永豐金控).
POWERING UP: PSUs for AI servers made up about 50% of Delta’s total server PSU revenue during the first three quarters of last year, the company said Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) reported record-high revenue of NT$161.61 billion (US$5.11 billion) for last quarter and said it remains positive about this quarter. Last quarter’s figure was up 7.6 percent from the previous quarter and 41.51 percent higher than a year earlier, and largely in line with Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co’s (元大投顧) forecast of NT$160 billion. Delta’s annual revenue last year rose 31.76 percent year-on-year to NT$554.89 billion, also a record high for the company. Its strong performance reflected continued demand for high-performance power solutions and advanced liquid-cooling products used in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers,
SIZE MATTERS: TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring 8-inch capacity, TrendForce said Chipmakers are expected to raise prices of 8-inch wafers by up to 20 percent this year on concern over supply constraints as major contract chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co gradually retire less advanced wafer capacity, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. It is the first significant across-the-board price hike since a global semiconductor correction in 2023, the Taipei-based market researcher said in a report. Global 8-inch wafer capacity slid 0.3 percent year-on-year last year, although 8-inch wafer prices still hovered at relatively stable levels throughout the year, TrendForce said. The downward trend is expected to continue this year,
Vincent Wei led fellow Singaporean farmers around an empty Malaysian plot, laying out plans for a greenhouse and rows of leafy vegetables. What he pitched was not just space for crops, but a lifeline for growers struggling to make ends meet in a city-state with high prices and little vacant land. The future agriculture hub is part of a joint special economic zone launched last year by the two neighbors, expected to cost US$123 million and produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually. It is attracting Singaporean farmers with promises of cheaper land, labor and energy just over the border.
US actor Matthew McConaughey has filed recordings of his image and voice with US patent authorities to protect them from unauthorized usage by artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, a representative said earlier this week. Several video clips and audio recordings were registered by the commercial arm of the Just Keep Livin’ Foundation, a non-profit created by the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Camila, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office database. Many artists are increasingly concerned about the uncontrolled use of their image via generative AI since the rollout of ChatGPT and other AI-powered tools. Several US states have adopted
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