Business and Finance

Three wharves at Hualien port closed after earthquake

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/07
By: Wang Shwu-feng and Kuan-lin Liu

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) Loading and unloading operations at three wharves in Hualien

Photo courtesy of Port of Hualien, Taiwan International Ports Corporation, Ltd.

Port have been suspended after the county’s branch of the Taiwan International Ports Corp. noticed that the deep foundations of the wharves have subsided due to the magnitude 6 earthquake that hit the county late Tuesday.

According to a Wednesday press statement from the corporation, it was discovered that the foundations of the No. 23, 24 and 25 wharves had all sunk 50 centimeters.

Work at wharves 23, 24 and 25 has therefore been suspended for safety reasons.
[FULL  STORY]

AUO Q4 net profit plunges 52.6 percent

‘OPTIMAL SCALE’: Chairman Paul Peng said that the company would not rush to join the capacity increase race, instead focusing on higher-priced, niche flat panels

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 08, 2018
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter

LCD panel maker AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) yesterday reported that net profit for last quarter more than halved as a persistent decline in TV panel prices eroded gross margin and drove down its bottom line to the weakest level in one-and-a-half years.

Net profit tumbled 52.6 percent to NT$4.2 billion (US$143.49 million) during the three-month period ending in December last year, compared with NT$8.86 billion in the third quarter of last year. That represented a 53 percent slump from NT$8.97 billion a year earlier, a financial statement showed.

Gross margin slid to 13.9 percent after panel prices fell 5.6 percent, compared with 17.5 percent in the prior quarter and 18.8 percent a year earlier.

Last year as a whole, net profit more than quadrupled to NT$32.36 billion, compared with NT$7.82 billion in 2016.    [FULL  STORY]

Innolux to have 75% of production lines automated

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 07, 2018
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter, in Tainan

Innolux Corp (群創), the world’s No. 3 LCD panel maker, yesterday said that it expects about 75 percent of it production lines to be automated by the end of this year, helping it cut manufacturing costs to competitive levels.

With most of its factories using robotic arms and machines operating in the dark, Innolux said that it is planning to cut its headcount to 50,000 this year, from 100,000 in 2007 when the automation program started.

The program aims to solve labor shortage problems, improve product quality and drive down manufacturing costs, Innolux honorary chairman Tuan Hsing-chien (段行建) told a news conference yesterday.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei International Sporting Goods Show to highlight innovative products: TAITRA

The 2018 Taipei International Sporting Goods Show (TaiSPO) will take place March 8 to March 10 at TWTC Exhibition Hall 1 & 3 in Taipei to showcase a full line-up of high quality innovative products, according to show organizer TAITRA

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/02/06
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)–The 2018 Taipei International Sporting Goods Show (TaiSPO), one

TaiSPO 2018 will take place March 8 to March 10 at TWTC Exhibition Hall 1 & 3 in Taipei (photo from TaiSPO 2018 website)

of the largest sporting goods shows in Taiwan, will take place March 8 to March 10 at TWTC Exhibition Hall 1 & 3 in Taipei to showcase a full line-up of high quality innovative products, according to show organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

The show organizer said that experts from the sporting industry have been invited to speak during the show and share their insights about the latest trends in the marathon and fitness business.

Held in conjunction with the International Diving and Water Sports Show (DiWaS) and the Sports Textile and Accessory Expo (SPOMODE), TaiSPO 2018 will feature the latest and greatest in the world of fitness and sporting products, TAITRA said.   [FULL  STORY]

HTC January sales down 15% month-on-month

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/06
By: Jiang Ming-yan and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 6 (CNA) Taiwan-based smartphone brand HTC Corp. reported Tuesday that its sales for January fell 15 percent from a month earlier amid escalating competition in the global market.

In a statement, HTC said its consolidated sales for January stood at NT$3.4 billion (US$116 million), down 15 percent from December and also down 27 percent from a year earlier.

Analysts said that although HTC unveiled the U11 Eyes last month, the move has failed to help the smartphone vendor generate more revenue since the model went on sale in late January.

According to HTC, the U11 Eyes carries a price tag of NT$14,900, which places the new model as a mid-range device.    [FULL  STORY]

ASE to launch venture with Qualcomm

GROWTH POTENTIAL: The new venture would build a facility in Sao Paulo to develop, design and produce system-in-a-package modules used in IoT devices and smartphones

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 07, 2018
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc (ASE, 日月光半導體), the world’s biggest chip tester and packager, yesterday said that it plans to invest US$70.5 million in a joint venture with Qualcomm Inc to develop and produce system-in-a-package (SiP) modules in Brazil.

The modules would be used in Internet of Things (IoT) devices and smartphones, ASE said in a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

The investment will be made in three stages via its Shanghai-based subsidiary, Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) Co Ltd (USI, 環旭電子), ASE said in the filing.

In a joint statement released yesterday, Qualcomm said its fully owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies Inc, has signed an agreement with USI to form the joint venture.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese investment in Indian mutual funds growing

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-02-05

Taiwanese are the second largest foreign investors in Indian mutual funds, right after investors from the United States. Taiwanese have invested 48 billion NT dollars in the nearly 20 Indian mutual funds available to them.

Indian funds performed well last year, yielding 20-30% in profits for investors.
[FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s uniform-invoice prize winning chances expected to increase this year

As an increased budget for the 2018 uniform-invoice prizes has been passed in Taiwan’s Legislature, the chances for winning uniform invoice prizes in 2018 are expected to increase

Taiwan News 
Date: 2018/02/05
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—As an increased budget for the 2018 uniform-invoice prizes has

Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced Saturday the uniform-invoice prize winning numbers for September and October 2017 (By Taiwan News)

been passed in Taiwan’s Legislature, the chances for winning uniform invoice prizes in 2018 are expected to increase.

Taiwan’s Legislature last week passed the 2018 Central Government General Budget, which includes a NT$10.5 billion budget for the 2018 uniform-invoice prizes, which reportedly is NT$500 million more than the amount for the previous year.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) said that with the increase of the uniform-invoice prize budget for this year, the winning numbers of each drawing are bound to increase, but as the ministry has been promoting e-invoices, the extra funds arising from the budget increase will mostly be allotted to special prizes designed for e-invoices. The ministry added that it is still working to finalize a scheme for increasing the uniform-invoice prize winning chances for 2018.

The MOF is expected to announce the scheme before March 25, when the uniform-invoice prize winning numbers for January and February 2018 will be announced. [FULL  STORY]

Financial regulator urges faith in stock market despite plunge

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/02/05
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Frances Huang

Taipei, Feb. 5 (CNA) Wellington Koo (顧立雄), chairman of the Financial Supervisory

FSC Chairman Wellington Koo CNA file photo

Commission (FSC), has urged investors to maintain their faith in Taiwan’s stock market despite its tumble on Monday.

Though the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s benchmark index took a beating, falling 1.62 percent on Monday, Koo said the decline reflected heavy losses in United States markets at the end of last week rather than a problem with fundamentals in the local market, which remained sound.

The Taiex fell 179.98 points, or 1.62 percent, to 10,946.25, after moving between 10,885.43 and 10,970.30, on turnover of NT$128.19 billion (US$4.38 billion).

The selling came after the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 665.75 points, or 2.54 percent, on Friday, the steepest daily loss since June 2016.    [FULL  STORY]

Largan sales slip sparks iPhone rumors

SQUEEZED SUPPLIERS: The lensmaker saw revenue plunge 28% last month and forecast demand would stay weak this month, as Catcher, another Apple supplier, saw a 12% slide

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 06, 2018
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter

Apple Inc camera lenses supplier Largan Precision Co (大立光) last month saw its revenue slump to the worst in 13 months, which it yesterday attributed to tepid customer demand during the slow first quarter.

The decline matched the company’s earlier projection, boding ill for its first-quarter earnings, as Largan has said revenue could fall for a third consecutive month this month and prospects for next month remain murky.

Revenue plunged 28 percent to NT$3.51 billion (US$120 million) last month, from NT$4.88 billion in December last year, steeper than the 13 percent month-on-month fall in December last year.

Last month’s figure meant an annual contraction of 6.33 percent from NT$3.75 billion in January last year.    [FULL STORY]