EQUITIES
Foreigners sell NT$17.04bn
Foreign investors last week sold a net NT$17.04 billion (US$569.63 million) of local shares after selling a net NT$1.9 billion a week earlier, the Taiwan Stock Exchange said yesterday. As of Friday, foreign investors had sold NT$972.02 billion of local shares since the beginning of the year, the exchange said in a statement. The top three shares sold by foreign investors last week were CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控), China Steel Corp (中鋼) and E.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控), while the top three shares foreign investors bought were EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空), Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) and Evergreen Marine Corp (長榮海運), it said. As of Friday, the market capitalization of shares held by foreign investors was NT$18.48 trillion, or 40.77 percent of total market capitalization, it said.
SEMICONDUCTORS
Phoenix profit falls 15%
Silicon wafer recycler Phoenix Silicon International Corp (昇陽半導體) yesterday reported that net profit last month fell 15 percent annually to NT$24 million. That represented earnings per share of NT$0.17. Revenue grew 19.6 percent year-on-year to NT$254 million last month, the company said in a regulatory filing. Net profit in the second quarter rose 126.3 percent to NT$93 million, with earnings per share of NT$0.66, the company said. Phoenix Silicon released the earnings and revenue data at the request of the Taiwan Stock Exchange due to an unusual spike in its stock price. Its shares have surged about 26 percent since the beginning of the year.
STEELMAKERS
CSC posts NT$4.3bn profit
China Steel Corp (CSC, 中鋼), the nation’s biggest steelmaker, yesterday reported NT$4.297 billion in pre-tax profit for last month, down 3.2 percent from a month earlier and 48.3 percent from a year earlier, as raw material prices continued to rise despite increased shipments. Pre-tax earnings per share were NT$0.27 in the month, it said. In the second quarter, it made NT$14.4 billion in pre-tax profit, sliding 0.7 percent from the previous quarter and 34.9 percent from a year earlier, with pre-tax earnings per share of NT$0.91, it said. In the first six months, pre-tax profit decreased 18 percent year-on-year to NT$28.902 billion, or NT$1.83 per share, it added.
REGULATORS
FSC signs Israel MOU
The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Israel Securities Authority on bilateral cooperation. The MOU is to provide a framework for cooperation and referrals in financial technology, innovation and investment, the commission said on Wednesday. A referral mechanism under the MOU is expected to help referred innovator businesses gain a better understanding of the regulatory regimes in the different jurisdictions, the commission said.
CEMENT
TCC showcases new cement
Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥) last week unveiled its first commercially available ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) battery storage container, with the opening of a DC charging station at a 7-Eleven store in Tainan’s Anping District (安平). The store is to offer DC/DC power from Molicel-branded batteries housed within the container, TCC said. UHPC provides a high-quality alternative to traditional concrete or metal, while its compressive strength and fire resistance properties make it an excellent choice for battery storage, TCC said.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
AI-FUELED DEMAND: The company has been benefiting from the skyrocketing prices for DRAM chips amid the AI frenzy, especially its core product — DDR4 DRAM chips DRAM chipmaker Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday reported that its revenue for the first quarter surged 582.91 percent to NT$49.09 billion (US$1.54 billion) from NT$7.19 billion a year earlier, as the supply crunch caused chip price spikes. Last quarter’s figure is the highest on record. On a quarterly basis, revenue jumped 63.14 percent from NT$30.09 billion, the company said. In January, Nanya Technology expected global DRAM supply scarcity to continue through the first half of 2028, thanks to strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) forecast prices of standard DRAM chips would rise between 58 percent and 63
HIGHER PRICES: Given rising energy costs, CPC raised natural gas prices for generators by 41.58%, which Taipower said would raise its power generation costs by NT$10 billion State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) has activated its fourth naphtha cracker to boost ethylene supply, aiming to ease concerns over plastic material shortages amid tensions in the Middle East, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. The move is expected to add 19,000 tonnes of supply this month and 30,000 tonnes next month, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. CPC on Tuesday held talks with major polyethylene producers, including Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑), Asia Polymer Corp (亞聚) and USI Corp (台聚), and pledged to supply ethylene feedstock
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