EQUITIES
TAIEX edges lower
The TAIEX yesterday closed little changed after recovering from early losses amid bargain hunting in a market that remained awash in liquidity. However, shares of iPhone assembler Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) came under pressure amid fears that it would face escalating competition for orders from Apple Inc as China-based Luxshare Precision Industry Co (立訊精密) gears up to expand its capacity after reaching a deal to acquire Wistron Corp’s (緯創) iPhone assembly unit in China. Hon Hai shares fell 1.36 percent to close at NT$86.8. The TAIEX closed down 7.02 points, or 0.06 percent, at 12,174.54 on turnover of NT$174.329 billion (US$5.90 billion). Foreign institutional investors sold a net NT$4.40 billion of shares, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.
CHIPMAKERS
TSMC denies Japan report
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said that it has no plans to build chip foundries in Japan, but would not rule out the possibility. “TSMC gives top priority to its clients’ demands,” the company said, when asked by the Central News Agency about a Japanese newspaper report on Sunday that Japan intends to invite TSMC and other global chipmakers to build an advanced chip foundry there in partnership with domestic companies. TSMC last week raised its planned capital expenditure for this year to more than US$17 billion, citing robust global demand.
CHIPMAKERS
Shares of PRC firms soar
Shares of Chinese chipmakers have surged in the past year, boosted by Beijing’s support for self-sufficiency in semiconductors, and as adoption of 5G and artificial intelligence proved resilient amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Shares of Cambricon Technologies Corp (寒武紀科技), a developer of artificial intelligence chips, yesterday surged as much as 358 percent to 295 yuan on its first day of trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s STAR board, before closing up 230 percent. Shares of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (中芯國際) jumped 202 percent on its Shanghai debut on Thursday last week.
CASTING COMPONENTS
Yeong Guan profit up 93%
Yeong Guan Energy Technology Group Co (永冠能源), which produces advanced casting components for specialized applications, yesterday posted net profit of NT$113 million for last month, or earnings per share of NT$1.07, an increase of 93 percent year-on-year. Revenue rose 13.02 percent to NT$722 million from NT$638 million a year earlier, as shipments increased 20.5 percent year-on-year to 15,600 tonnes, the company said. As wind power customers continue to maintain high orders, and demand for injection molding machines and industrial machinery remains stable, shipments this month would remain at a normal level, Yeong Guan said.
TELECOMS
Taiwan Mobile in 5G tie-up
Taiwan Mobile Co (台灣大哥大) yesterday said that it is providing 5G networks and vehicle-to-everything solutions to Formosa Plastics Transport Corp (台塑汽車貨運) for its testing of self-driving vehicles, a joint statement said. Formosa Plastics Transport, which operates more than 1,500 trucks, is the nation’s first commercial fleet operator investing in autonomous vehicles. It plans to use Chang Tung Health and Culture Village (長庚養生文化村) as a testing ground for its vehicles.
STILL HOPEFUL: Delayed payment of NT$5.35 billion from an Indian server client sent its earnings plunging last year, but the firm expects a gradual pickup ahead Asustek Computer Inc (華碩), the world’s No. 5 PC vendor, yesterday reported an 87 percent slump in net profit for last year, dragged by a massive overdue payment from an Indian cloud service provider. The Indian customer has delayed payment totaling NT$5.35 billion (US$162.7 million), Asustek chief financial officer Nick Wu (吳長榮) told an online earnings conference. Asustek shipped servers to India between April and June last year. The customer told Asustek that it is launching multiple fundraising projects and expected to repay the debt in the short term, Wu said. The Indian customer accounted for less than 10 percent to Asustek’s
‘DECENT RESULTS’: The company said it is confident thanks to an improving world economy and uptakes in new wireless and AI technologies, despite US uncertainty Pegatron Corp (和碩) yesterday said it plans to build a new server manufacturing factory in the US this year to address US President Donald Trump’s new tariff policy. That would be the second server production base for Pegatron in addition to the existing facilities in Taoyuan, the iPhone assembler said. Servers are one of the new businesses Pegatron has explored in recent years to develop a more balanced product lineup. “We aim to provide our services from a location in the vicinity of our customers,” Pegatron president and chief executive officer Gary Cheng (鄭光治) told an online earnings conference yesterday. “We
LEAK SOURCE? There would be concern over the possibility of tech leaks if TSMC were to form a joint venture to operate Intel’s factories, an analyst said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday stayed mum after a report said that the chipmaker has pitched chip designers Nvidia Corp, Advanced Micro Devices Inc and Broadcom Inc about taking a stake in a joint venture to operate Intel Corp’s factories. Industry sources told the Central News Agency (CNA) that the possibility of TSMC proposing to operate Intel’s wafer fabs is low, as the Taiwanese chipmaker has always focused on its core business. There is also concern over possible technology leaks if TSMC were to form a joint venture to operate Intel’s factories, Concord Securities Co (康和證券) analyst Kerry Huang (黃志祺)
It was late morning and steam was rising from water tanks atop the colorful, but opaque-windowed, “soapland” sex parlors in a historic Tokyo red-light district. Walking through the narrow streets, camera in hand, was Beniko — a former sex worker who is trying to capture the spirit of the area once known as Yoshiwara through photography. “People often talk about this neighborhood having a ‘bad history,’” said Beniko, who goes by her nickname. “But the truth is that through the years people have lived here, made a life here, sometimes struggled to survive. I want to share that reality.” In its mid-17th to
RSS