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.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said it plans to ship its new 1 megawatt charging systems for electric trucks and buses in the first half of next year at the earliest. The new charging piles, which deliver up to 1 megawatt of charging power, are designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles, and support a maximum current of 1,500 amperes and output of 1,250 volts, Delta said in a news release. “If everything goes smoothly, we could begin shipping those new charging systems as early as in the first half of next year,” a company official said. The new
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) is expected to share his views about the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s prospects during his speech at the company’s 37th anniversary ceremony, as AI servers have become a new growth engine for the equipment manufacturing service provider. Lam’s speech is much anticipated, as Quanta has risen as one of the world’s major AI server suppliers. The company reported a 30 percent year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue to NT$1.41 trillion (US$43.35 billion) last year, thanks to fast-growing demand for servers, especially those with AI capabilities. The company told investors in November last year that