CHIPMAKERS
MediaTek to sell stake
Handset chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) on Friday said it plans to sell 91.38 million shares of fingerprint sensor supplier Goodix Technology Inc (匯頂科技) to boost profits. The sale might boost net profit by NT$2.7 billion (US$88.38 million), MediaTek said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The sale might fetch MediaTek NT$3.27 billion, based on Goodix’s closing price of NT$79.59 on Thursday, the filing said. MediaTek has about a 16 percent stake in Goodix.
INVESTMENT
CLSA co-leads ACT venture
CLSA Capital Partners, an asset management arm of CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, has co-led an investment of an undisclosed amount in ACT Genomics Co Ltd (行動基因生技), Deal Street Asia reported on Wednesday. CLSA Capital Partners typically invests US$10 million to US$50 million per deal, with possible co-investment of up to US$100 million, the report said. ACT Genomics applies genomic information-based treatment for cancer patients. The company has offices in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, according to its Web site.
MACROECONOMICS
Domestic trade rises
Domestic trade — including the retail, wholesale and restaurant sectors — continued to grow in August, with the restaurant sector registering the biggest annual increase of 5.2 percent, followed by the wholesale sector at 4 percent and the retail sector at 0.6 percent, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed. Overall, domestic trade totaled NT$1.3 trillion in August, the highest for the month since the ministry started keeping records in 1953, it said on its Web site on Tuesday.
BIG BUCKS: Chairman Wei is expected to receive NT$34.12 million on a proposed NT$5 cash dividend plan, while the National Development Fund would get NT$8.27 billion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday announced that its board of directors approved US$15.25 billion in capital appropriations for long-term expansion to meet growing demand. The funds are to be used for installing advanced technology and packaging capacity, expanding mature and specialty technology, and constructing fabs with facility systems, TSMC said in a statement. The board also approved a proposal to distribute a NT$5 cash dividend per share, based on first-quarter earnings per share of NT$13.94, it said. That surpasses the NT$4.50 dividend for the fourth quarter of last year. TSMC has said that while it is eager
The Eurovision Song Contest has seen a surge in punter interest at the bookmakers, becoming a major betting event, experts said ahead of last night’s giant glamfest in Basel. “Eurovision has quietly become one of the biggest betting events of the year,” said Tomi Huttunen, senior manager of the Online Computer Finland (OCS) betting and casino platform. Betting sites have long been used to gauge which way voters might be leaning ahead of the world’s biggest televised live music event. However, bookmakers highlight a huge increase in engagement in recent years — and this year in particular. “We’ve already passed 2023’s total activity and
‘IMMENSE SWAY’: The top 50 companies, based on market cap, shape everything from technology to consumer trends, advisory firm Visual Capitalist said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) was ranked the 10th-most valuable company globally this year, market information advisory firm Visual Capitalist said. TSMC sat on a market cap of about US$915 billion as of Monday last week, making it the 10th-most valuable company in the world and No. 1 in Asia, the publisher said in its “50 Most Valuable Companies in the World” list. Visual Capitalist described TSMC as the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry operator that rolls out chips for major tech names such as US consumer electronics brand Apple Inc, and artificial intelligence (AI) chip designers Nvidia Corp and Advanced
Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Aramco), the Saudi state-owned oil giant, yesterday posted first-quarter profits of US$26 billion, down 4.6 percent from the prior year as falling global oil prices undermine the kingdom’s multitrillion-dollar development plans. Aramco had revenues of US$108.1 billion over the quarter, the company reported in a filing on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange. The company saw US$107.2 billion in revenues and profits of US$27.2 billion for the same period last year. Saudi Arabia has promised to invest US$600 billion in the US over the course of US President Donald Trump’s second term. Trump, who is set to touch
RSS