Taiwan stocks fell yesterday as MediaTek Inc (
The report also said MediaTek, Taiwan's second-largest chip designer, may post worse-than-expected sales in May. MediaTek's stock fell NT$24, or 4.3 percent, to NT$534.
The TWSE Index fell for the first day in three yesterday, losing 109.22, or 1.9 percent, to 5,801.47. Within the index, 396 stocks dropped, 105 stocks gained and 61 were unchanged.
Trading was worth NT$63.5 billion, or 44 percent less than the daily average in the past three months.
Investors say they're waiting for stronger signs of a recovery in the US, Taiwan's second-biggest export market, amid a seasonal lull in demand for personal computers.
"Sales at Taiwan's electronics makers are a leading indicator of the US economy, and we haven't really seen signs of strong growth in April and May," said Jenny Hung, who helps manage NT$1.5 billion (US$43 million) in Taiwan equities at Prudential Securities Investment Trust Co (
Hung recently added shares of computer-memory-chip makers and computer-motherboard makers after their declines were deemed excessive.
Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), Taiwan's largest computer-motherboard maker, had gained as much as 8.3 percent in the past week. Yesterday it fell NT$4.5, or 3.5 percent, to NT$126.
Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑) rose NT$0.20, or 0.5 percent, to NT$42.2.
The Central News Agency reported that two plants operated by Dow Chemical Co, the largest US chemical maker, in the Netherlands lowered production of ethylene because of an electrical failure. That could boost demand for the plastic chemical produced by Formosa Plastics.
Powerchip Semiconductor Corp (
United World Chinese Commercial Bank (
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