The China Post
Date: October 6, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI — The U.S. dollar rose against the New Taiwan dollar Wednesday, gaining NT$0.024 to close at NT$31.371, as renewed fears over an interest rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve prompted traders here to cut their holdings in the local currency, dealers said.

The weakness of the British pound also paved the way for selling in regional currencies and added more downward pressure on the New Taiwan dollar throughout the session, the dealers said.

The greenback opened at NT$31.360 and moved between NT$31.350 and NT$31.409 before the close. Turnover totaled US$674 million during the trading session.

Soon after the local foreign exchange market opened, the U.S. dollar moved higher against the New Taiwan dollar on follow-through buying, and momentum continued as investors feared that the chances of the Fed raising its key interest rates had increased, the dealers said.     [SOURCE]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-04
By: Central News Agency

Taipei, Oct. 4 (CNA) The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) on Tuesday solicited private sector investment in 52 infrastructure projects worth approximately NT$100 billion (US$3.18 billion).

The ministry made the announcement during an annual investment project presentation event attended by representatives from 250 companies.

According to Deputy Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai , over the past five years, the MOTC has successfully attracted NT$170 billion in investment for 87 projects, most of which were train and bus stations, airports, harbors and rest areas along major highways.

This year, the ministry is seeking investment in more projects than any other central government agency, he said.     [FULL  STORY]

‘YET TO STABILIZE’:DTZ real-estate appraisal director Charlie Yang said that it was premature to depict an increase in land deals as a recovery, because of a low base

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 05, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

Commercial property transactions totaled NT$10.5 billion (US$334.96 million) last quarter, shrinking 62.69 percent from the preceding quarter, as price differences widened between buyers and sellers, international property consultancy DTZ said yesterday.

“The stalemate is likely to persist for years, unless sellers are willing to make greater concessions,” DTZ Taiwan general manager Billy Yen (顏炳立) said, adding that buyers would not chase prices.

Price gaps broadened to 30 percent in the July-to-September period, leaving properties that offered 10 to 20 percent price cuts still unattractive, Yen said.

The property market is in a coma, with anemic transactions, while sellers who agree to show sufficient flexibility are likely to come out ahead, Yen said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-10-03
By: Central News Agency

Taiwan’s purchasing managers index (PMI) for manufacturing rose in September to its highest level since March 2015, signaling continued expansion in the sector, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) said Monday.

The index rose 1.5 points to 56.5, the highest it has been since it reached 59.1 in March last year, and reflected sustained momentum in manufacturing activity by remaining above 50 for the seventh straight month, the CIER said.

Any PMI over 50 indicates expansion while scores under 50 reflect contraction.

The non-manufacturing index (NMI) fell 1.5 points in September to 51, the second consecutive month of decline, according to the latest CIER data.

CIER President Wu Chung-shu said the decline reflected a recent drop in the number of Chinese visiting Taiwan, which has adversely affected the country’s accommodation and food service industry.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/10/03
By: Wu Hsin-yun and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Oct. 3 (CNA) The number of employers that had unpaid leave programs in place and the number of workers on unpaid leave in the second half of September both decreased compared with the first half of the month, government statistics showed Monday.

As of Sept. 30, 24 employers had unpaid leave programs in place, compared with 26 in the first two weeks of the month, according to Ministry of Labor (MOL) data.

Meanwhile, a total of 542 workers were on furlough, compared with 662 in the first half of September, the MOL said.

Affected by the economic slowdown, some employers have been asking their workers to take one to four days of unpaid leave per month for a period of up to three months, the MOL said.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 04, 2016
By: Ted Chen / Staff reporter

The Securities and Futures Investors Protection Center (SFIPC) is seeking NT$2.87 billion (US$91.6 million) in compensation on behalf of investors affected by Bai Chi Gan Tou Digital Entertainment Co’s (百尺竿頭) failed acquisition of XPEC Entertainment Inc (樂陞科技).

The center said yesterday it has accepted 19,503 out of 19,862 applications from XPEC shareholders who had participated in the tender offer since it began receiving appeals on Sept. 8.

The reparation amount is based on the wild swing in XPEC’s share price, which tumbled to NT$45.75 on Sept. 8, when XPEC shares were released back to participating shareholders after the acquisition deal collapsed.

Bai Chi Gan Tou had originally offered to purchase 38 million XPEC shares at NT$128 to acquire a 25.17 percent stake in the Taiwanese video game developer.     [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: October 4, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI–Shares in Taiwan closed higher Monday following a rebound in the U.S. stock market, with the weighted index surpassing the 9,200-point mark.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) ended up 67.35 points, or 0.73 percent, at 9,234.20 on Monday, reflecting nearly 1 percent gains in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq on Friday.

Turnover totaled an anemic NT$54.76 billion (US$1.75 billion) during the session.

Trading in old economy stocks was mixed. Formosa Plastics Corp. (台塑) rose 0.51 percent to NT$78.20, even though the Formosa Plastics Group’s steel unit in Vietnam came under pressure on Sunday from local fishermen over pollution they say has destroyed their livelihoods.

Plastics stocks rose 0.25 percent, while stocks in the food and paper-making sectors surged by over 1 percent respectively. The glass sector sub-index slid 0.23 percent, and the automobile sector sub-index dropped 0.88 percent.     [FULL  STORY]