Equity investors in Taiwan earned about NT$1 million (US$35,224) on average in the past lunar year, boosted by a 30 percent rise in share prices, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.
On Friday, the last trading session in the Year of the Rat, the benchmark index closed at 15,802.40, which is 3,683.69 points, or 30.4 percent, higher than in the last session in the previous lunar year, the Year of the Pig.
Market capitalization increased by NT$11.37 trillion, or 30.92 percent, from a year earlier to NT$48.16 trillion.
Photo: CNA
As of the end of last month, there were 11.28 million investors on the equity market, earning about NT$1.1 million on average in the 12-month period, the data showed.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, global financial markets remained resilient, as the US Federal Reserve and other major central banks pumped cash into economies, analysts said.
The spillover effects of loose monetary policies led to strong and sustained fund inflows into Taiwan, they said.
The TAIEX on Jan. 7 surpassed 15,000 points, peaked at 16,153.77 points on Jan. 21 and finished at 15,802.40 on Friday.
The gains were driven largely by contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which soared almost 90 percent in the Year of the Rat.
TSMC remained the global leader in high-end technology development, weathering headwinds from the pandemic, analysts said.
TSMC reallocated capacity after it lost orders from one of its major customers, Huawei Technologies Co (華為), due to US sanctions on the Chinese firm, they said.
In the Year of the Rat, TSMC’s market cap rose by NT$7.75 trillion to NT$16.38 trillion, as its shares soared by NT$299.00. Its shareholders earned NT$309,000 for every 1,000 shares, in addition to a cash dividend of NT$10 per share.
TSMC’s gains contributed 2,546 points to the TAIEX’s increase in the past lunar year.
The chipmaker remained the most profitable company in Taiwan, posting a record net profit of NT$517.89 billion, or earnings per share of NT$19.97.
TSMC has forecast a 15 percent sales increase this year, while the average growth in the pure-play wafer foundry industry is projected to be 10 percent.
Among the other companies that contributed significantly to the TAIEX’s gains, integrated circuit designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) posted NT$41.44 billion in net profit, an annual gain of 78.6 percent, driven by increased shipments of 5G chips.
In the Year of the Rat, MediaTek shares soared NT$531 from a year earlier to close at NT$950, with its market cap increasing by NT$844.29 billion. Its shareholders earned NT$541,500 for every 1,000 shares, in addition to a cash dividend of NT$10.5 per share.
Trading on the local equity market is to resume on Wednesday next week.
ENERGY ISSUES: The TSIA urged the government to increase natural gas and helium reserves to reduce the impact of the Middle East war on semiconductor supply stability Chip testing and packaging service provider ASE Technology Holding Co (日月光投控) yesterday said it planned to invest more than NT$100 billion (US$3.15 billion) in building a new advanced chip testing facility in Kaohsiung to keep up with customer demand driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. That would be included in the company’s capital expenditure budget next year, ASE said. There is also room to raise this year’s capital spending budget from a record-high US$7 billion estimated three months ago, it added. ASE would have six factories under construction this year, another record-breaking number, ASE chief operating officer Tien Wu
The EU and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg. The EU and US would also cooperate on standards, investments and joint projects, as well as coordinate on any supply disruptions by countries like China. The two sides are additionally seeking other “like-minded partners” to join a multicountry accord to help create these new critical mineral supply chains, which feed into
For weeks now, the global tech industry has been waiting for a major artificial intelligence (AI) launch from DeepSeek (深度求索), seen as a benchmark for China’s progress in the fast-moving field. More than a year has passed since the start-up put Chinese AI on the map in early last year with a low-cost chatbot that performed at a similar level to US rivals. However, despite reports and rumors about its imminent release, DeepSeek’s next-generation “V4” model is nowhere in sight. Speculation is also swirling over the geopolitical implications of which computer chips were chosen to train and power the new
Intel Corp is joining Elon Musk’s long-shot effort to develop semiconductors for Tesla Inc, Space Exploration Technologies Corp and xAI, marking a surprising twist in the chipmaker’s comeback bid. Intel would help the Terafab project “refactor” the technology in a chip factory, the company said on Tuesday in a post on X, Musk’s social media platform. That is a stage in the development process that typically helps make chips more powerful or reliable. The chipmaker’s shares jumped 4.2 percent to US$52.91 in New York trading on Tuesday. The Terafab project is a grand plan by Musk to eventually manufacture his own chips for
RSS