Stocks fell as chipmakers such as United Microelectronics Corp (
UMC fell NT$1.50, or 3.4 percent, to NT$43.30. HSBC Securities (Asia) Ltd cut its 2002 earnings forecast for the world's No. 2 made-to-order chipmaker by more than a tenth, citing lower third-quarter sales growth as customers cut back orders.
"Chipmakers' third-quarter orders aren't so clear," said Jeff Chen, who manages NT$3.8 billion (US$109 million) in stocks at E. Sun Securities Investment Trust Co (
The TAIEX fell 43.28, or 0.8 percent, to 5,527.80. Within the index, about 23 stocks rose for every 20 that fell. The total value of trade was NT$50.3 billion (US$1.5 billion), almost three-fifths below the six-month daily average of NT$120.7 billion.
The index gained almost nine-tenths between Oct. 3 and April 24 on signs of a US economic recovery. It's fallen 14 percent since then on concern that recovery may lag expectations, damping a revival in companies' earnings.
Amtran Technology Co (
AU Optronics Corp (
Cosmos Bank Taiwan (
Elitegroup Computer Systems Co (精英電腦) rose NT$1, or 0.6 percent, to NT$170. The nation's third-largest computer-motherboard maker forecast sales in May grew a tenth to about NT$5 billion from April, which marked the bottom in terms of month-on-month sales, a Chinese-language newspaper reported, citing Chairman Chiang Kuo-ming (蔣國明). Demand will revive starting at the end of June, the paper cited Chiang as saying.
Silicon Integrated Systems Corp (
United Epitaxy Co (
VIA Technologies Inc (
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘REGRETTABLE’: TPP lawmaker Vivian Huang said that ‘we will continue to support Chairman Ko and defend his innocence’ as he was transferred to a detention facility The Taipei District Court yesterday ruled that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) be detained and held incommunicado over alleged corruption dating to his time as mayor of Taipei. The ruling reversed a decision by the court on Monday morning that Ko be released without bail. After prosecutors on Wednesday appealed the Monday decision, the High Court said that Ko had potentially been “actively involved” in the alleged corruption and ordered the district court to hold a second detention hearing. Ko did not speak to reporters upon his arrival at the district court at about 9:10am yesterday to attend a procedural
The High Court yesterday overturned a Taipei District Court decision to release Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and sent the case back to the lower court. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday questioned Ko amid a probe into alleged corruption involving the Core Pacific City development project during his time as Taipei mayor. Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心), was a shopping mall in Taipei’s Songshan District (松山) that has since been demolished. On Monday, the Taipei District Court granted a second motion by Ko’s attorney to release him without bail, a decision the prosecutors’ office appealed
The Executive Yuan yesterday warned against traveling to or doing business in China after reports that Beijing is recruiting Taiwanese to help conceal the use of forced Uighur labor. The government is aware that Taiwan-based influencers and businesses are being asked to make pro-Beijing content and offered incentives to invest in the region, Executive Yuan acting spokeswoman Julia Hsieh (謝子涵) told a news conference. Taiwanese are urged to be aware of the potential personal and reputational harm by visiting or operating businesses in China, Hsieh said, adding that agencies are fully apprised of the situation. A national security official said that former Mainland