TAIEX down on corruption
The TAIEX fell more than 1 percent to close under the 7,900-point mark yesterday as news of a stock speculation scandal broke and China moved to cool down its property market, dealers said.
Financial shares were down 1.5 percent after the Ministry of Finance on Sunday announced it would check the auditing processes of state-run securities and investment firms after news reports said such institutions were possibly engaging in corruption, dealers said.
The weighted index closed down 97.29 points, or 1.22 percent, at 7,867.34, after fluctuating between 7,849.52 and 7,966.22 on turnover of NT$84.02 billion (US$2.83 billion).
Microsoft to close Messenger
Microsoft Taiwan Corp has announced that it will shut down its Windows Live Messenger instant messaging system in Taiwan on April 8, but said users can replace the service with Skype, an online messaging and phone call program.
Messenger will continue to be available in China and Taiwanese users will be able to communicate with Messenger clients there after the change, it said.
Microsoft bought Skype, which serves 280 million users per month, for US$8.5 billion in 2011, and has been promoting the transition since November last year. The movement not only marks a reshuffle on the instant communications market, in which Messenger has lost its edge to major competitors such as Facebook Inc, Line and WeChat in recent years, but also helps Microsoft prepare the integration of its Windows 8 platform.
HTC phone to debut in Taiwan
Fresh from winning the top prize at the just-concluded Mobile World Congress in Spain, the latest model in HTC Corp’s (宏達電) One smartphone series will make its national debut on Friday, the Taiwanese smartphone maker said last week.
The phone was originally scheduled to be unveiled on March 4, but HTC postponed the launch.
The device, which was launched in London and New York on Feb. 19 to rave reviews, is priced between NT$23,000 and NT$26,000 in those two markets. Its retail price in Taiwan and other Asian countries has yet to be announced.
AIDC inks deal with US firm
The state-run Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC, 漢翔航空) yesterday signed a three-year contract with US-based Argosy International Inc in a bid to expand its international aviation business and enhance competitiveness in the global market.
Based on the contract, AIDC will collaborate with Argosy to keep promoting 11 ongoing projects aimed at keeping down the purchasing costs of 48 raw materials used for manufacturing airplanes, the company said in a statement.
The contract could help AIDC generate nearly NT$800 million in sales in the next three years.
TLC plans share issuance
Taiwan Liposome Co (TLC, 台微體) yesterday said it planned to raise NT$2.98 billion by issuing 10 million new common shares to fund research and purchase machinery.
TLC said its board decided not to distribute a dividend to shareholders this year because of company losses last year, although revenue grew 107.62 percent to NT$240.66 million from NT$78.23 million in 2011.
TLC focuses on the research and development of pharmaceutical products based on its lipid-based drug delivery technologies.
NT dollar down on greenback
The New Taiwan dollar fell against the US dollar yesterday, declining NT$0.104 to close at NT$29.770.
Turnover totaled US$746 million during the trading session.
KEEPING UP: The acquisition of a cleanroom in Taiwan would enable Micron to increase production in a market where demand continues to outpace supply, a Micron official said Micron Technology Inc has signed a letter of intent to buy a fabrication site in Taiwan from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電) for US$1.8 billion to expand its production of memory chips. Micron would take control of the P5 site in Miaoli County’s Tongluo Township (銅鑼) and plans to ramp up DRAM production in phases after the transaction closes in the second quarter, the company said in a statement on Saturday. The acquisition includes an existing 12 inch fab cleanroom of 27,871m2 and would further position Micron to address growing global demand for memory solutions, the company said. Micron expects the transaction to
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