Business and Finance

Unemployment rises with entry of new graduates into market

The China Post
Date: July 23, 2016
By: John Liu

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Due to new graduates entering the workforce, the unemployment rate in June

Staff work at a convenience store in Taipei on Friday, July 22. The unemployment rate stood at 3.92 percent in June, the government has reported.(John Liu, The China Post)

Staff work at a convenience store in Taipei on Friday, July 22. The unemployment rate stood at 3.92 percent in June, the government has reported.(John Liu, The China Post)

rose 0.08 percentage points to 3.92 percent, according to a government census report.

The jobless rate was up 0.21 percentage points compared with the same period last year, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS, 主計處) said today.

The slow economy appeared to have exacted a toll on the job market, as indicated by the first January-June unemployment rate increase since 2010. The first-half figure was 3.89 percent, up 0.21 percentage points from last year.

Taiwan’s unemployment rate remained the highest among its neighbors. According to the DGBAS, the rate is 3.7 percent in South Korea, 3.4 percent in Hong Kong, 3.2 percent in Japan and 1.9 percent in Singapore.    [FULL  STORY]

BioTaiwan exhibition kicks off in Taipei with 600 exhibitors

The China Post
Date: July 22, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI — The 2016 BioTaiwan exhibition, which showcases the country’s biotechnology industry and matches buyers, researchers and local manufactures, opened in Taipei Thursday.

The four-day exhibition, dubbed Asia’s largest biotechnology fair with 600 exhibitors, is expected to attract 90,000 visitors, who will see the latest in biopharmaceutical and new drug developments, diagnostics, medical devices and instruments.

The visitors will also have the chance to gain an understanding of the investment and legal frameworks of the industry in Taiwan, as well as the development of science parks and incubation centers, the organizers said.

The exhibition is being held jointly with the Taipei International Healthcare and Medical Cosmetology Expo at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Nangang Exhibition Hall, which highlights cosmetics products, equipment and herbal supplements.     [FULL  STORY]

Unemployment at 3.92% in June

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/22

Taipei, July 22 (CNA) Unemployment rose 0.08 percentage points monthly to 3.92 percent in June, 201607220003t0001up 0.21 points from the same month in 2015, government statistics showed Friday.

The number of unemployed persons rose 10,000 to 459,000 in June, according to figures released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

After seasonal adjustments, the rate of unemployment for the month of June was 3.96 percent, the same level as in May, said DGBAS.      [FULL  STORY]

US should help Taiwan to build subs: Trump adviser

‘BREAK THIS EMBARGO’:Peter Nevarro cited Taiwan’s vital strategic importance and proposed working with Japanese shipbuilders to help Taiwan make the subs

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 22, 2016
By: William Lowther / Staff reporter in WASHINGTON

It is time for the US to break a Chinese-imposed embargo and help Taiwan develop its own submarines, a policy adviser to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said.

“The construction of such a submarine industry would help defend Taiwan,” Peter Navarro, an economics professor at the University of California, Irvine, wrote in an article published by National Interest magazine this week.

“It would also create new, high-skilled jobs at robust wage levels — the most critical need of a Taiwan that, like America, has off-shored far too much of its industrial base to China,” he said.

Navarro said that he had just returned from a visit to Taiwan where he conducted lengthy discussions with experts about what it would mean if Beijing controlled the nation.     [FULL  STORY]

UPS helps businesses deliver urgent shipments

The China Post
Date: July 22, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — UPS (NYSE:UPS) announced the expansion of its UPS Worldwide Express

UPS staff work on packages in this undated file photo. The company has announced the expansion of its services to Taiwan, which is expected to aid companies in the country. Companies in the retail, high-tech, manufacturing and health care industries, as well as consumers, frequently make use of the service. (Courtesy of UPS)

UPS staff work on packages in this undated file photo. The company has announced the expansion of its services to Taiwan, which is expected to aid companies in the country. Companies in the retail, high-tech, manufacturing and health care industries, as well as consumers, frequently make use of the service. (Courtesy of UPS)

package service to reach 117 countries and territories, including Taiwan, providing an earlier delivery option to more locations. UPS delivers more packages internationally than any other carrier in the world, according to a press release from the company.

The UPS Worldwide Express service offers guaranteed delivery on the next business day by 10:30 a.m., noon or 2 p.m. depending on the destination. In 2016, UPS introduced the service to 52 additional countries and territories, the company added.

“The expansion of UPS services into emerging markets such as Cambodia and Myanmar paves the way for UPS to serve the increasing needs of customers trading to and from these new manufacturing markets. Over the last 18 months, UPS has expanded our service coverage and portfolio in 35 markets across five countries and territories in the region, to reliably connect Asian businesses of all sizes to the world,” said Ross McCullough, president of UPS Asia-Pacific Region.

Companies in the retail, high-tech, industrial manufacturing and health care industries, along with consumers, use the service for urgent global shipments. Businesses with products that have a short shelf life and companies producing goods for special events requiring last-minute order changes find the speed and reliability of the service especially useful, the company stated.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan shares fall, but remain above 9,000 points

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-20
By: Central News Agency

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan closed lower Wednesday, apparently affected by weak performance of large-cap electronics stocks and the financial sector, but the market’s benchmark index remained above the 9,000-point mark, dealers said.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange closed down 27.19 points, or 0.30 percent, at 9,007.68, off an early low of 8,969.19, on turnover of NT$93.647 billion (US$2.92 billion). The market opened at 9,013.52 and dropped below the 9,000-point level at one point, but recovered later in the session. Almost all the major share sub-indexes lost ground, with the financial sub-index falling the most at 0.51 percent.

Cathay Financial Holding Co., (國泰金) dropped 1.2 percent to end at NT$36.85, Fubon Financial Holding Co. (富邦金) fell 0.6 percent to finish at NT$40, and CTBC Financial Holding Co. (中信金) lost 0.5 percent to finish at NT$18.15. In the electronics sector, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (台積電), the most heavily weighted stock on the local market, fell 0.3 percent to close at NT$170, while Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (鴻海) dropped 0.2 percent to end at NT$86.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s export orders down for 15th straight month

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/20
By: Huang Chiao-wen and Lilian Wu

Taipei, July 20 (CNA) Taiwan’s export orders fell for the 15th consecutive month in June compared 201607200016t0001with a year earlier despite signs that orders placed to Taiwanese electronics makers were picking up again after a prolonged slump, according to statistics released Wednesday.

Taiwan-based companies received US$35.7 billion in export orders in June, down 2.4 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said, attributing the latest decline to the relatively high base of comparison of US$36.6 billion in orders seen in June 2015.

The 15 consecutive months of decline was the longest in Taiwan’s history, eclipsing the previous record of 12 consecutive months of decline in orders during 2008 and 2009 when a financial crisis battered the global economy.      [FULL  STORY]

Export orders beat government forecast

TRENDING UPWARD:While still declining annually, last month’s export orders rose 5.9% monthly on the back of chips used in smartphones and notebook demand from Europe

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 21, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

The nation’s export orders fell 2.4 percent year-on-year to US$35.7 billion last month, better than the government’s estimate of a 6.23 percent annual drop, as demand for notebook computers and semiconductor products picked up, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

The results marked the 15th consecutive month of annual declines in orders, but the scale of the fall was less than the previous 14 months, ministry data showed.

Last month’s orders grew 5.9 percent from the US$33.73 billion recorded in May, the data showed.

“Robust demand for notebooks from the European market and chips used in smartphones were the main drivers of the monthly growth in Taiwan’s export orders,” Department of Statistics Director-General Lin Lee-jen (林麗貞) said at a news conference.

Export orders for information and communication products grew 10.4 percent month-on-month to US$10.34 billion, but edged down 0.5 percent year-on-year due to a high base last year as local manufacturers ramped up deliveries of Apple Inc’s smartwatches, Lin said.     [FULL  STORY]

TWSE trading on Monday

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-18
By: Central News Agency

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange opened at 8,952.61 today. After coming off an early low of 8,952.61, the index closed at the day’s high of 9,008.21 points, up 58.36. Turnover totaled NT$92.67 billion.The weighted index, excluding the financial sector, closed at 7,678.43 points, up 47.01. A total of 2,988 stocks closed up, and 2,416 ended down with 440 unchanged.

The top 10 stocks in terms of trading volume were 00632R, 2409, 3481, 00637L, 2891, 2317, 2885, 00633L, 0050 and 3231.

The top 10 stocks in terms of trading value were 2330, 3008, 2317, 0050, 00632R, 2498, 2412, 1476, 2474 and 2409.     [FULL  STORY]

TWSE plans more investor conferences for this year

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/07/18
By: Tien Yu-pin and Frances Huang

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) The Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) has planned to hold more 201607180020t0001investor conferences in the second half of this year, expanding similar efforts seen in the first half to attract more equity investors from home and abroad.

The TWSE, which operates the domestic main board, said the conferences will focus on Taiwan’s five major innovation businesses — the Internet of Things, biotech/medical care, renewable technology, smart machinery and national defense/aviation.

The TWSE said that the exchange will visit firms with strong fundamentals in the five fields and encourage them to launch listings in the local equity market, a move that is expected to provide investors with more stock-buying options.

The presence of the good listed firms from the five niche technology sectors is expected to make the local equity market more diversified, while the listings could help these fundamentally sound companies gain access to funding for future expansion and eventually boost Taiwan’s economy, the TWSE said.     [FULL  STORY]