Taiwan News
Date: 2016-05-23
By: Central News Agency
Taipei, May 23 (CNA) The Taiwan Stock Exchange’s main index opened up 19.12 points Monday at 8,150.38 on turnover of NT$994 million (US$30.38 million). [SOURCE]
Business and Finance
Taiwan’s CAL, EVA Air win Global Traveler Leisure Lifestyle Awards
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/05/22
By: Chen Wei-ting and Elizabeth Hsu
Taipei, May 22 (CNA) Taiwan’s two largest airlines — China Airlines (CAL) and EVA Airways 
(EVA) — have both earned 2016 Leisure Lifestyle Awards presented by Global Traveler, an American monthly magazine for business and leisure luxury travelers.
The award-winning design of CAL’s new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft helped it win the award for Best Premium-Economy Class in this year’s Leisure Lifestyle Awards.
“The cabin features seating with fixed backshell and front-sliding seat recline, 12.1-inch personal entertainment touchscreens, power outlets and USB ports, personal storage space and a reading light,” Global Traveler said.
EVA Airways (EVA) won a Leisure Lifestyle Special Achievement Award for its Hello Kitty-themed aircraft, which was recognized as “Outstanding Customized Services.” [FULL STORY]
Taiwan banks’ deposits of yuan at 15-month low
Taipei Times
Date: May 23, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA
Chinese yuan-denominated deposits held by Taiwan-based banks last month fell to a 15-month low, reflecting a downbeat mood about the yuan’s strength at a time when economic growth in China continues to show signs of slowing down, according to the local central bank.
Citing data, the central bank last week said that the balance of yuan deposits, including negotiable certificates of deposit (NCDs), held by banks in Taiwan totaled 310.82 billion yuan (US$47.82 billion), down 3.496 billion yuan, or 1.11 percent, from a month earlier.
Last month’s balance was not only the lowest in 15 months, but marked the third consecutive month for the deposits to fall in the Taiwanese banking sector, according to the data. [FULL STORY]
Taiwan’s cellphone shipments could fall almost 10% sequentially in Q2
Taiwan News
Date: 2016-05-21
By: Jeffery Wu and Frances Huang, Central News Agency
Taipei, May 21 (CNA) Cellphone shipments from Taiwan for the second quarter of this year will likely fall almost 10 percent from a quarter earlier due to slowing global demand for select flagship models of some Taiwanese brands, according to Taiwan-based Digitimes Research.
The research firm said that the expected drop in cellphone shipments also reflected the end of a product life cycle of several models under the name Sony, which is a major client of Taiwanese contract electronics makers. Digitimes said that cellphone shipments from Taiwan for the April-June period are expected to total 12.60 million units, down 9.7 percent from a quarter earlier.
The second quarter figure could even fall 42.9 percent from a year earlier, it said. [FULL STORY]
Brokerages allowed to open call centers to take orders
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/05/21
By: Tien Yu-pin and Frances Huang
Taipei, May 21 (CNA) Brokerages in Taiwan are now allowed to open call centers to take 
orders from their clients to buy and sell securities, according to the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
The TWSE, which operates Taiwan’s main exchange, said the call centers will be able to help brokerages coordinate and integrate their resources in a single venue to better handle buy and sell orders from their clients by phone.
The establishment of call centers is expected to provide more convenience to brokerages’ clients and help dealers tailor services to meet individual customers’ needs, the TWSE added.
The exchange said a securities company’s call center should be located in the dealing room of the company’s headquarters and should have tight security to prevent the presence of any unauthorized persons. [FULL STORY]
CAL pilots threaten strike
Taiwan News
Date: 2016-05-19
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A total of 800 China Air Lines pilots threaten to call a strike on the 
day of the Dragon Boat Festival, reports said Thursday.
June 9 is the first day of a four-day holiday expected to be busy with travelers heading out of the country.
After Wednesday’s failure of the previous round of negotiations over the number of days off, the pilots reportedly said they might ask for leave together on a single day, in this case the start of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
A new round of talks next week could still defuse the situation, reports said. At the heart of the matter is the failure of the promise by Taiwan’s major airline to give its pilots at least 116 days off per year, union activists said. [FULL STORY]
TransAsia Airways cuts capacity to improve finances
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/05/19
By: Wang Shu-fen and Kay Liu
Taipei, May 19 (CNA) TransAsia Airways, a Taiwan-based regional carrier hit by two crashes 
since 2014, announced on Thursday a capacity cut aimed at improving its finances.
TransAsia said it plans to ground its two leased Airbus A330s, but continue operating the remaining two A330s it owns on routes to Shanghai Pudong and Japanese destinations, including Osaka Kaisai, Hakodate, Sapporo and Asahikawa.
However, the combined frequency to destinations in Japan’s Hokkaido — Hakodate, Sapporo and Asahikawa — will be cut from two daily round trips to one from June 15 through October.
Flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Tokyo Narita International Airport will be operated by smaller A321 or A320 jets from June 15, and the frequency will be halved to one daily round trip from July.
TransAsia said it will help passengers affected by the aircraft change or the flight cuts by booking them on flights operated by other carriers. [FULL STORY]
Catcher expecting strong second half
STOCK BOOST:Catcher said it would prefer to invest in operations and development or distribute higher cash dividends to shareholders, rather than buying back shares
Taipei Times
Date: May 20, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter, in Tainan
Catcher Technology Co (可成科技), a metal casing suppliers for Apple Inc’s iPhones, yesterday said it expects business to pick up in the second half of this year, as the company is to start shipping new products for clients next month.
“There are many clients launching new products next month, such as new notebooks or smartphones. The growth momentum in the second half is pretty strong,” Catcher chairman Allen Horng (洪水樹) told shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting in Tainan.
In addition, Catcher has received orders from a new US client for a smartwatch and the company is likely to start shipping the product from next quarter, Horng said.
The main growth driver in the second half is expected to be smartphones in terms of shipment volume and sales contribution, Horng said, with other contributions from notebook computers and other products. [FULL STORY]
Takashimaya to sell stake in Taipei department store
Taiwan News
Date: 2016-05-18
By: Central News Agency
Takashimaya Co., a leading Japanese retailer, has decided to sell its stake in a jointly owned department store in Taipei to its partner as a way of withdrawing from the Taiwan retail market, the department store said Wednesday.
Takashimaya will sell its 50 percent stake in the Dayeh Takashimaya Department Store in the Shilin District to Dayeh Group, which owns the other half.
The stake will be sold at a price of NT$492 million (US$15.04 million), according to local media reports.
In 1994, Takashimaya and Dayeh teamed up to open the department store in Tianmu, an affluent neighborhood in Taipei, where many foreign expatriates live.
The department store once generated annual revenue of NT$5.8 billion but has been encountering stiff competition in the Tianmu area since businesses such as Pacific SOGO and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department stores entered the market, analysts said. [FULL STORY]
Nobel laureate surprised by Taiwan people’s money-saving habits
Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/05/18
By: Chen Cheng-wei
Taipei, May 18 (CNA) Angus Deaton, who was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in 
Economic Sciences last year, said Wednesday in Taipei that he is surprised by how much the Taiwanese people love to save money.
During a speech at the Taipei International Convention Center that day, Deaton said that many Americans do not have the habit of saving, so if a study on saving habits were to be conducted, it should be done in Taiwan, China or South Korea.
Taiwanese people save money no matter what age they are, Deaton observed, adding that he has not figured out the reason for this.
Meanwhile, Deaton said that when addressing problems of inequality in consumption, one must also analyze individual consumer behavior and not just the overall economic data. [FULL STORY]
