EQUITIES
TAIEX down on US data
The TAIEX yesterday took a beating, plunging nearly 200 points, as investors took their cues from heavy losses on US markets caused by weaker-than-expected economic data. Selling again focused on large-cap electronics stocks, driving the broader market lower, while the transportation sector also came under pressure, led by shipping heavyweights. The TAIEX closed down 199.79 points, or 1.29 percent, at 15,240.13. Turnover totaled NT$243.465 billion (US$8.2 billion), with foreign institutional investors selling a net NT$5.94 billion of shares on the main board, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.
CONSTRUCTION
Private firms up investment
The Ministry of Finance yesterday said that the private sector’s participation in public construction totaled NT$195.4 billion in the first half of this year, exceeding last year’s total investment of NT$188.8 billion. Based on the scale of investment projects currently under negotiation, valued at NT$40 billion, the total investments for this year could hit a new record, the ministry said. An investment conference focusing on the private sector’s participation in public construction projects is to take place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center tomorrow, it said. NT$224.5 billion of public construction projects are planned for the second half of this year and the first half of next year would be the focus of the conference, it said.
TECHNOLOGY
HTC optimistic about VR
HTC Corp (宏達電) said it remains upbeat about the overall virtual reality (VR) market, adding that it is still growing, especially the business-to-business segment. Telecoms are expected to support the development of the market, HTC Asia-Pacific general manager Charles Huang (黃昭穎) said on Tuesday while launching the company’s latest HTC Desire 22 Pro handset. The company is working with the Kaohsiung City Government to introduce the latest updates to its open-source metaverse platform Viverse to various sectors in the city, enabling anyone to jump into the virtual world at any time from any place via their smartphone or any other device that has a Web browser able to run VR experiences, Huang said. The company is also cooperating with the Taoyuan City Government to offer VR services after the third quarter, he said. HTC is working with several companies in Taiwan to launch metaverse services. For instance, in collaboration with Taiwan’s three major telecoms, HTC plans to offer a range of services designed to be compatible with its metaverse platform, Huang said. It would also work closely with the banking and financial industry, he added.
MINING
Tianqi planning HK listing
Tianqi Lithium Corp (天齊鋰業), a Chinese supplier of the key material used in batteries, is planning to raise as much as US$1.7 billion in what is set to be Hong Kong’s biggest listing this year. The Chengdu-based company, which is already listed in Shenzhen, is offering 164.1 million shares at HK$69 to HK$82 each, it said in a news release yesterday. The price range offers a maximum 52 percent discount on its A-share price at yesterday’s close. If an over-allotment option is exercised, proceeds could increase to nearly US$2 billion. The company intends to use the proceeds for working capital, repaying debt and funding the construction of a plant, among other things, the release said. Pricing is expected on Wednesday, and the shares are set to begin trading in Hong Kong on July 13.
SEEKING CLARITY: Washington should not adopt measures that create uncertainties for ‘existing semiconductor investments,’ TSMC said referring to its US$165 billion in the US Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) told the US that any future tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors could reduce demand for chips and derail its pledge to increase its investment in Arizona. “New import restrictions could jeopardize current US leadership in the competitive technology industry and create uncertainties for many committed semiconductor capital projects in the US, including TSMC Arizona’s significant investment plan in Phoenix,” the chipmaker wrote in a letter to the US Department of Commerce. TSMC issued the warning in response to a solicitation for comments by the department on a possible tariff on semiconductor imports by US President Donald Trump’s
The government has launched a three-pronged strategy to attract local and international talent, aiming to position Taiwan as a new global hub following Nvidia Corp’s announcement that it has chosen Taipei as the site of its Taiwan headquarters. Nvidia cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Monday last week announced during his keynote speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei that the Nvidia Constellation, the company’s planned Taiwan headquarters, would be located in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei. Huang’s decision to establish a base in Taiwan is “primarily due to Taiwan’s talent pool and its strength in the semiconductor
An earnings report from semiconductor giant and artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether Nvidia Corp takes center stage for Wall Street this week, as stocks hit a speed bump of worries over US federal deficits driving up Treasury yields. US equities pulled back last week after a torrid rally, as investors turned their attention to tax and spending legislation poised to swell the US government’s US$36 trillion in debt. Long-dated US Treasury yields rose amid the fiscal worries, with the 30-year yield topping 5 percent and hitting its highest level since late 2023. Stocks were dealt another blow on Friday when US President Donald
UNCERTAINTY: Investors remain worried that trade negotiations with Washington could go poorly, given Trump’s inconsistency on tariffs in his second term, experts said The consumer confidence index this month fell for a ninth consecutive month to its lowest level in 13 months, as global trade uncertainties and tariff risks cloud Taiwan’s economic outlook, a survey released yesterday by National Central University found. The biggest decline came from the timing for stock investments, which plunged 11.82 points to 26.82, underscoring bleak investor confidence, it said. “Although the TAIEX reclaimed the 21,000-point mark after the US and China agreed to bury the hatchet for 90 days, investors remain worried that the situation would turn sour later,” said Dachrahn Wu (吳大任), director of the university’s Research Center for
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