Taiwan Today
Date: January 27, 2016

MOEA eyes semiconductor sector investment growth
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. leads local private sector investment in 2015 by spending NT$180 billion on facility expansions around the country. (CNA)

Taiwan’s semiconductor sector is expected to lead the way in attracting NT$1.4 trillion (US$41.7 billion) in private investment this year, up from NT$1.34 trillion in 2015, according to the ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs Jan. 26.

The MOEA will achieve this target by encouraging semiconductor firms to boost investment in R&D, lift production and obtain key technologies. This is expected to help these outfits strengthen advantages in design, manufacturing and packaging, as well as consolidate Taiwan’s position in the global supply chain.

At the same time, expanded production and R&D by such firms as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and United Microelectronics Corp., as well as panel-makers AU Optronics Corp. and Innolux Corp, will ensure the MOEA reaches its investment goal.

Hsiao Chen-jung, deputy director of the MOEA Industrial Development Bureau, said last year’s performance of the semiconductor sector makes it the ideal candidate to carry the bulk of the private investment load.     [FULL  STORY]

FLAGGING CONFIDENCE:A separate survey showed consumer confidence falling further this month, mainly affected by the TAIEX’s decline amid a global stock rout

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 28, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The government’s business climate monitor flashed “blue” for the seventh consecutive month last month, indicating that the economy has yet to come out of the woods, despite earlier projections that things will improve this year, the National Development Council said yesterday.

The council now expects the nation’s export-reliant economy to bottom out this quarter, but global uncertainty lingers.

The total score for the monitoring system stood at 14 last month, one point lower than in November, the council’s report said. Except for ample liquidity, all bellwethers registered negative cyclical movements, the report said.

“The semiconductor industry’s inventory correction has showed signs of stabilization, suggesting that electronics exports may gradually regain growth dynamism going forward,” council researcher Wu Ming-hui (吳明蕙) said.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/26
By: Pan Chi-i and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan fell on Tuesday, apparently affected by the 200-point decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average overnight, but the market’s benchmark index remained above the 7,800-point mark, dealers said.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange closed down 65.48 points, or 0.83 percent, at 7,828.67 Tuesday on thin turnover of NT$61.54 billion (US$1.83 billion).

The market opened at 7,832.10 and dropped below the 7,800-point level at one point but recovered later in the session.

All major share sub-indexes lost ground, with the financial sub-index falling the most at 1.49 percent.     [FULL  STORY]

CRUDE LIMIT:Private investment in Taiwan’s petrochemical industry last year amounted to NT$275.8 billion, an 11.3 percent plunge from 2014’s NT$310 billion

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 27, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Taiwan’s private investments grew at a slower-than-expected annual pace of 2.82 percent last year, due to volatility in the global economy and falling prices of crude oil products, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.

The growth was a significant retreat from 2014’s 6.65 percent annual increase, the ministry said.
It was also the first time in the past 10 years that private investments failed to reach the government’s annual goal, with total investments of NT$1.34 trillion (US$39.73 billion) — nearly NT$60 billion short of the target of NT$1.4 trillion — ministry data showed.
“Less investment from the petrochemical industry because of the sharp decline in oil prices last year is the main reason that private investments did not reach the annual goal,” Industrial Development Bureau Deputy Director-General Hsiao Chen-jong (蕭振榮) said at a news conference following the ministry’s meeting on the nation’s private and foreign investments.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 26, 2016
By: Dave Carroll / Staff reporter, with AP, MELBOURNE, Australia

Taiwan’s Chan Yung-jan and Rohan Bopanna of India rallied from a set down to advance to the quarter-finals of the mixed doubles at the Australian Open yesterday, but it was a day that saw Hsieh Su-wei crash out of both the women’s doubles and the mixed doubles at Melbourne Park.

Third seeds Chan and Bopanna had to fight back from a set down against Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic and Lucasz Kubot of Poland to complete a 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 victory in 70 minutes on Show Court 3.

The Taiwanese-Indian duo saved two of four break points and converted two of five, winning 65 of the 123 points contested to advance to a quarter-final against Andreja Klepac of Slovenia and Treat Huey of the Philippines, who edged Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia and Robert Lindstedt of Sweden 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 26, 2016
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Asia Pacific Telecom Co (APT, 亞太電信) chairman Lu Fang-ming (呂芳銘) entered a sale and purchase agreement with Macquarie Holdings (Singapore) Pte to buy a stake in the nation’s No. 3 cable TV system operator in his own capacity, a statement released yesterday said.

“The proposed purchase of Taiwan Broadband Communications Co [TBC, 台灣寬頻] is Lu’s personal investment and has nothing to do with APT or Hon Hai Precision Industry Co [鴻海精密],” APT said in a statement.

However, the deal still prompted speculation that it could be Hon Hai’s latest step toward the expansion of its business scope to the cable TV industry and APT might benefit from the digital convergence of telecom and cable businesses.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-25
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Despite the volatility of the global financial market last year, the demand for futures exchange continues to remain high, according to the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) on Monday.

Thanks to the introduction of several new products and mechanisms, the trading volume at TAIFEX ended 2015 with a total of 264,490,000 contracts, an all-time high since its initial establishment, including the first-ever attempt to exceed the 1 million benchmark in average daily trading volume.

“The launch of RMB FX Futures, Tokyo Stock Price Index (TOPIX) Futures, ETF Options, and the extension of trading hours on ETF Futures to 4:15 p.m. facilitated investors’ trading strategy and risk management,” TAIFEX Chairman Liu Len-yu said.     [FULL  STORY]

NEGATIVE WEALTH:Forecasters are painting a dark picture for Taiwan’s export-based economy this year as consumer spending needed to buoy GDP is expected to slump

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 26, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER, 台灣經濟研究院) yesterday cut its forecast for GDP growth this year from 1.84 percent to 1.53 percent, saying the nation’s export-reliant economy has yet to hit rock bottom, as indicated by disappointing bellwethers.

It is the first downward revision by domestic research institutes this year and others could follow to reflect escalating downside risks.

“External demand might not recover much due to a lack of breakthrough electronic innovations on the horizon. Ongoing wide financial swings could foster conservative spending by consumers,” TIER economic forecasting center director Gordon Sun (孫明德) told a media briefing.     [FULL  STORY]