SHIPPING
Wisdom Marine bullish
Shareholders of Wisdom Marine Group (慧洋海運集團), one of the nation’s listed bulk shippers, yesterday approved the company’s plan to distribute NT$3 per share in cash dividends, based on its net profit of NT$1.77 billion (US$57.34 million), or NT$3.81 per share, recorded last year. Wisdom Marine chairman James Lan (藍俊昇) maintained a bullish view that the company might see profitability this year grow from last year, thanks to the strategy of disposing of ships with low cost efficiency and signing long-term leasing contracts with customers. However, Lan said the overall sentiment in the bulk industry remains “helpless,” following the decline of the Baltic Dry Index — which tracks rates for transporting dry commodities such as coal, iron ore and grain across 20 shipping routes — by nearly 25 percent this year, closing at 588 points on Thursday.
SEMICONDUCTORS
Hermes revenue to rise
Semiconductor inspection tool and equipment maker Hermes Microvision Inc (漢微科) yesterday said revenue this year would exceed last year’s NT$7.21 billion as demand for advanced inspection tools increases. Company chairman Hsu Chin-jung (許金榮) said Hermes would benefit from customers’ migration to next-generation 14 nanometer (nm), 16nm and 10nm technologies. Hermes counts Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) as one of its major clients. Hermes shareholders yesterday approved a proposal to distribute a cash dividend of NT$22 per share. That represents a more than 48 percent payout ratio based on the company’s earnings per share of NT$45.6 last year.
TELECOMS
Taiwan Star developing 4G
Local 4G service provider Taiwan Star Telecom Co Ltd (台灣之星) yesterday said it aims to double its number of 4G users to 500,000 this year, amid fast-growing adoption of the 4G network in the nation. Taiwan Star president Cliff Lai (賴弦五) said losses would widen this year from last year’s NT$2.8 billion loss, due to higher 4G network depreciation costs. He said the company hopes to break even in 2018. Lai made the remarks after the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting yesterday. Last year, Taiwan Star generated NT$86.16 million in revenue.
INTERNET
Travelers trust forums: poll
Agoda.com yesterday announced the results of its latest “Travel Smarts” survey, which showed that travelers trust online forums and blogs most when making travel plans. The survey, conducted over last month and this month, polled more than 5,500 Agoda.com customers and found that online forums were the most popular sources of information for travelers, winning 34 percent of votes. Blogs and independent Web sites came in second with 28 percent of the votes. Only 12 percent of respondents selected guidebooks. “When travelers turn to Internet resources, they benefit from the combined knowledge and experience of countless other travelers and can also target their research to suit their particular needs,” Agoda.com chief operating officer John Brown said.
TECHNOLOGY
Altek releases new camera
Digital camera maker Altek Corp (華晶科技) on Thursday unveiled a new mini-wireless camera, Cubic Live, that enables live broadcasting. The new camera uses wireless connectivity technology, such as WiFi and near-field communication, to control the camera from a smartphone, Altek said. The new camera would go on sale in July for NT$3,580, the company said.
Hypermarket chain Carrefour Taiwan and upscale supermarket chain Mia C’bon on Saturday announced the suspension of their partnership with Jkopay Co (街口支付), one of Taiwan’s largest digital payment providers, amid a lawsuit involving its parent company. Carrefour and Mia C’bon said they would notify customers once Jkopay services are reinstated. The two retailers joined an array of other firms in suspending their partnerships with Jkopay. On Friday night, popular beverage chain TP Tea (茶湯會) also suspended its use of the platform, urging customers to opt for alternative payment methods. Another drinks brand, Guiji (龜記), on Friday said that it is up to individual
READY TO BUY: Shortly after Nvidia announced the approval, Chinese firms scrambled to order the H20 GPUs, which the company must send to the US government for approval Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) late on Monday said the technology giant has won approval from US President Donald Trump’s administration to sell its advanced H20 graphics processing units (GPUs) used to develop artificial intelligence (AI) to China. The news came in a company blog post late on Monday and Huang also spoke about the coup on China’s state-run China Global Television Network in remarks shown on X. “The US government has assured Nvidia that licenses will be granted, and Nvidia hopes to start deliveries soon,” the post said. “Today, I’m announcing that the US government has approved for us
UNCERTAINTIES: Exports surged 34.1% and private investment grew 7.03% to outpace expectations in the first half, although US tariffs could stall momentum The Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) yesterday raised its GDP growth forecast to 3.05 percent this year on a robust first-half performance, but warned that US tariff threats and external uncertainty could stall momentum in the second half of the year. “The first half proved exceptionally strong, allowing room for optimism,” CIER president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) said. “But the growth momentum may slow moving forward due to US tariffs.” The tariff threat poses definite downside risks, although the scale of the impact remains unclear given the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump’s policies, Lien said. Despite the headwinds, Taiwan is likely
The National Stabilization Fund (NSF, 國安基金) is to continue supporting local shares, as uncertainties in international politics and the economy could affect Taiwanese industries’ global deployment and corporate profits, as well as affect stock movement and investor confidence, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement yesterday. The NT$500 billion (US$17.1 billion) fund would remain active in the stock market as the US’ tariff measures have not yet been fully finalized, which would drive international capital flows and global supply chain restructuring, the ministry said after the a meeting of the fund’s steering committee. Along with ongoing geopolitical risks and an unfavorable
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