FLAT PANELS:Hon Hai’s chairman boosted his stake in Sakai Display Products to enhance the company’s competitive edge and take on South Korean giant Samsung

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 30, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) has raised his stake in Sakai Display Products Corp (SDP) — which he and Sharp Corp of Japan jointly own — to more than 50 percent.

In a statement released yesterday by Sharp — in which Hon Hai holds a 66 percent stake — the Japanese electronics maker said it had sold 436,000 Sakai flat-panel plant shares to SIO International Holdings Ltd, owned by Gou, for ￥17.17 billion (US$147 million).

After the transaction, Gou’s stake in the Sakai plant via SIO rose to 53.05 percent from 37.61 percent, while Sharp’s stake in the flat-panel production site fell to 26.71 percent.

Sharp said it would book a profit of about ￥234 million from the disposal of the stake in the Sakai plant during the October-to-December period.    [FUILL  STORY]

THE RIGHT STUFF:Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute president Liang Kuo-yuan said Taiwan needs radical innovation and the right people to spearhead industrial reform

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 29, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter
The nation’s economy might continue at a slow pace of expansion next year, with GDP set for a 1.8 percent increase as structural constraints limit growth, the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute (元大寶華綜經院) said yesterday.

The projection came after the Taipei-based think tank raised its growth forecast for this year to 1.37 percent, compared with a projection of 1.1 percent in September, on the back of improving external demand.

“While key barometers have showed positive movements, the economy remains mired in small growth… It would take an industrial policy that encourages radical innovation with cooperation from the private sector to cast off the pattern,” institute president Liang Kuo-yuan (梁國源) said at a news conference.

The Democratic Progressive Party government has introduced a series of measures to help the private sector expand and diversify its markets, moving from a focus on China to Southeast and South Asian nations.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date:L Dec 28, 2016
By: Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter

The government’s business monitoring system last month flashed “green” for the fifth consecutive month, reflecting a moderate, but continued improvement in the economy, the National Development Council said yesterday.

The council’s composite monitoring indicators seek to measure growth or decline in nine areas of the economy.

The overall score — which includes the leading and coincident indicators — increased by 2 points from October to 26 points last month, its highest level in the past 26 months.

“The performance came on the back of improving exports and local manufacturers’ increasing shipments,” council research director Wu Ming-huei (吳明蕙) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/27
By: Jalen Chung and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Dec. 27 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan closed slightly lower Tuesday on a second straight day of unusually low turnover as many foreign institutional investors stayed away from the market because of the Christmas holiday, dealers said.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) closed down 1.27 points, or 0.01 percent, at 9,109.27, after moving between 9,100.83 and 9,132.05.

Turnover totaled NT$33.43 billion (US$1.04 billion) during the session, after reaching only NT$31.54 billion on Dec. 26. Turnover in Taiwan’s market normally hits at least NT$60 billion to NT$70 billion per day.

In the bellwether electronics sector, contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), rose 0.28 percent to close at NT$180, and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., an assembler of iPhones and iPads, edged up 0.24 percent to close at NT$83.50.    [FULL  STORY]

TRUMP EFFECT:US president-elect Donald Trump’s protectionist trade stance could trigger a trade war with China, disrupting the global supply chain, an academic said

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 28, 2016
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Consumer confidence fell to a more than three-year low this month, dragged by concerns over inflation and a less rosy employment market, a survey by National Central University showed yesterday.

The index shed 0.49 points to 77.22 this month, from 77.71 last month, better than a decline of 1.24 points last month, as the domestic and worldwide economy improves, the survey said.

With the economy gathering traction, consumer confidence could register a positive movement next month or in the first half of next year, said Dachrahn Wu (吳大任), director of the university’s Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development, which conducted the survey.

“There is the likelihood of positive growth in the first half of next year as faster GDP growth will help brighten the prospects for the economy, household income, the job market and the stock market,” Wu said.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 28, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — CTBC Holdings (中國信託金控) has won recognition from leading world agencies in 2016, marking the fifth consecutive year the holding company won more than 100 awards in one year.

As the first domestic financial holding enterprise to be as a Top 20 Best Taiwan Global Brands announced by the Industrial Development Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, CTBC Holdings made it to fourth place this year.

In terms of company management and corporate social responsibility, CTBC Holdings was selected as a DJSI Emerging Markets Index 2016 constituent stock and was listed on the MSCI Global Sustainability Indexes.

Several of the firm’s top executives were awarded as best managers this year, including Chairman Chao Chin Tung (童兆勤) awarded Best CEO in Taiwan by The Asian Banker; Chairman Wen Long Yen (顏文隆), awarded Responsible Business Leadership by Enterprise Asia; General Manager Daniel Wu (吳一揆) and Deputy General Manager Rachael Kao (高麗雪), awarded Asia’s Best CEO and Best CFO by the Corporate Governance Asia.    [FULL  STORY]