Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/01/27
By: Tsai Yi-chu and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Jan. 27 (CNA) The Taiwan dollar rose nearly 7 percent during the Year of the Monkey that ended Friday, the first lunar year during which the Taiwan dollar appreciated since the Year of the Dragon from 2012 to 2013.

The Taiwan dollar gained 6.89 percent against the U.S. dollar during the Year of the Monkey after closing at 31.36 to the greenback on Thursday, the last day of trading before the market closed for the Lunar New Year holiday.

It was the local currency’s highest level of appreciation in any lunar year since a 9.93 percent appreciation during the Year of the Tiger from 2010 to 2011, but nearly half of the gains were recorded in January.

Foreign exchange traders said the greenback has generally come under pressure since Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in November, and it fell further after his inauguration as Asian currencies, such as the Korean won and Japanese yen, continued to climb.    [FULL  STORY]

UPGRADES:Taiwan Business Indicators rose to 28, the highest level in two years, on imports of equipment by firms to expand capacity and retain technology leadership

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 27, 2017
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The government’s business climate monitor was “green” last month for the sixth consecutive month, as major economic barometers recorded positive cyclical movements amid an improving global economy, the National Development Council said yesterday.

The nation’s export-oriented economy might continue to benefit from an increase in global trade activity this year as major international research institutes all expect the world’s economy to fare better than last year, the council said.

“A continued and stable recovery of the global economy is favorable for Taiwan’s exports,” which domestic and international institutes have forecast could emerge from a contraction last year, council director Wu Ming-huei (吳明蕙) said.

However, if Britain leaves the EU in a sour fashion and US President Donald Trump raises barriers on cross-border trade, Taiwan could take a hit, she said.

The council’s Taiwan Business Indicators last month rose two points to 28, the highest in two years, elevated mainly by more imports of electrical and machinery equipment by local firms to expand capacity and maintain technology leadership, Wu said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 27, 2017
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — MediaTek Inc., a leading Taiwan-based integrated circuit designer, announced Thursday its annual revenue for 2016 totaled a record-busting NT$275.5 billion, up 29.2 percent compared to the previous year, with earnings per share of NT$15.16.

However, its fourth quarter saw a record-low gross margin at 34.5 percent, which may go down further in the first quarter this year.

The chip designer released financial results for its fourth quarter ending Dec. 31, 2016. Fourth quarter consolidated revenue was NT$68.6 billion, down 12.4 percent from the previous quarter and up 11.3 percent year-over-year.

The company attributed the quarterly decrease to seasonal decline for consumer electronics, and the annual growth was mainly due to a rise in shipments for consumer electronics.    [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-01-25

Taiwan’s economy showed higher-than-expected growth in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2016. That’s according to the latest numbers from the government statistics office.

The office’s analysis shows that Taiwan’s GDP registered a growth of 2.58% in Q4 2016 over the same period in the previous year. That’s slightly higher than the office’s initial prediction for the period. The growth came thanks to the steady growth from nation’s main trade partners, which helped boost exports of Taiwanese goods by 11.73%.

However, the tourist sector saw a drop of 4% in the period. The growing numbers of tourists visiting Taiwan from other nations was not enough to offset a 40% drop in incoming Mainland Chinese tourists recorded during the fourth quarter.

In terms of domestic demand, the automotive industry showed strong sales in Q4, as did the restaurant industry. However, a warm winter has caused dwindling revenue for sellers of winter clothing and heating appliances.    [FULL  STORY]

‘SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY’:Eco-friendly products have higher margins and the demand from foreign firms is expected to remain robust in coming years, a source said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 26, 2017
By: Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter

Textile maker Far Eastern New Century Corp (遠東新世紀) yesterday said it is upbeat about sales of recycled materials this year amid increasing orders from international brands.

For the whole of last year, the company saw cumulative revenue edge down 0.92 percent year-on-year to NT$215.87 billion (US$6.88 billion), partly because of weak sentiment in global garment markets.

“However, the firm saw higher revenue contributions from recycled fiber and textiles last year, as our major brand customers from Europe and the US pay closer attention to social responsibility issues,” a company official said by telephone yesterday.

The official, who declined to be named, said that eco-friendly products have higher margins and the demand in the sector is expected to remain robust in coming years.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: January 26, 2017
By: Christine Chou

Leading dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chipmaker Nanya Technology’s (南亞科) net profit increased more than NT$20 billion in the last quarter, reporting an earnings per share (EPS) of NT$7.33.

Nanya, the DRAM manufacturing arm of the Formosa Plastics Group (台塑集團), announced its 2016 fourth quarter earnings report at a shareholders meeting on Wednesday.

As expected by market watchers, the Taoyuan-based company enjoyed another quarter of substantial profit growth thanks to higher operating income and recognized gains from an asset disposal.

Nanya received pre-tax revenue of nearly NT$20 billion after selling its holdings in Inotera Memories (華亞科) to U.S.-based chipmaker Micron, allowing the U.S. firm to acquire a 67 percent stake in Inotera. In turn, Nanya acquired 57.7 million of Micron’s shares for NT$31.46 billion.    [FULL  STORY]