Business and Finance

Asustek expects smartphone growth

WINTEL:CEO Jerry Shen said the launch of Microsoft’s Windows 10 was unlikely to affect demand, while Intel’s Skylake processor will not be available until next month

Taipei Times
Date:  Aug 12, 2015
By: Lauly Li  /  Staff reporter

Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday said it expects its notebook computer shipments to grow mildly this quarter from last quarter, and predicted better smartphone business in the second half of this year.

The PC maker made the comments after releasing its second-quarter financial results, which beat analysts’ forecasts, at a time when the company is working to improve its profit margins against market headwinds.     [FULL  STORY]

Assembler Pegatron’s quarterly profit tops estimates

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/10
By: Jeffrey Wu

Taipei, Aug. 10 (CNA) Taiwan’s Pegatron Corp. (和碩), a key supplier for Apple Inc.’s 201508100018t0001iPhones, reported on Monday a sharp year-on-year rise in quarterly profit, topping expectations, powered by non-operating gains from asset disposal and interest.

The company’s second-quarter net income grew 211 percent from a year earlier to NT$4.656 billion (US$147 million) with earnings per share (EPS) of NT$1.82, which exceeded market expectations of between NT$1.3 and NT$1.4.

Pegatron’s non-operating income was NT$1.535 billion in the April-June quarter, an increase of 176 percent from the same period of last year.     [FULL  STORY]

HTC trading at less than cash on hand

CASH ASSETS:HTC, the one-time highest-selling smartphone brand in the US, is facing dropping market shares amid speculation the brand cannot recover from sales declines

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 11, 2015
By: Bloomberg

A 60 percent plunge in HTC Corp’s (宏達電) stock this year pushed its market value to below its cash on hand. Investors have effectively said the smartphone maker’s brand, factories and buildings are worthless.

HTC’s market price fell yesterday to NT$47 billion (US$1.48 billion), below the NT$47.2 billion cash it had at the end of June. A drop of as much as 9.8 percent in its stock before a late rally signaled investors put no value on the rest of the company.

“HTC’s cash is the only asset of value to shareholders,” said Calvin Huang (黃文堯), who has a NT$46.50 price target on the stock at Sinopac Financial Holdings Co (永豐金控) in Taipei.     [FULL  STORY]

MediaTek falls in world semiconductor sales rankings

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/08
By: Jackson Chang and Frances Huang

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) MediaTek Inc. (聯發科), Taiwan’s largest integrated circuit designer, 201508080016t0001fell one notch in the world semiconductor sales rankings in the first half of 2015, according to market advisory firm IC Insights.

In a research report, IC Insights said MediaTek took 13th place on the global list for the January-June period, down from 12th place in 2014, with sales totaling US$3.03 billion.

MediaTek’s second quarter sales rose 1 percent from a quarter earlier to US$1.53 billion as growth in the global smartphone market showed signs of slowing, the IC Insights report showed.

That slowdown resulted in a 12.1 percent decline in the Taiwanese IC designer’s net profit from a quarter earlier to NT$6.38 billion (US$201 million).     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan FSC gets 11 applications for 3rd party payment licenses

Want China Times
Date: 2015-08-09
By: CNA

Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) said Friday that the FSC has received

A woman views Bank SinoPac's 3rd party payment service on a smartphone. (Photo/Bank SinoPac)

A woman views Bank SinoPac’s 3rd party payment service on a smartphone. (Photo/Bank SinoPac)

11 applications to secure a license to launch their third party payment processing services.

The FSC, the top financial regulator in Taiwan, said that the 11 applicants are two non-banking entities and nine financial institutions.

The two non-banking applicants are Pay2go a subsidiary of online game software developer Soft-World International, and Gash Plus owned by Gamania Group, which is also an online game software firm.

The nine financial applicants are Chunghwa Post, Bank of Taiwan, E Sun Commercial Bank, Shin Kong Bank, CTBC Bank, Bank SinoPac, Yuanta Commercial Bank, First Commercial Bank and Ta Chong Bank.     [FULL  STORY]

Orders for new iPhone at Hon Hai, Pegation

Taipei Times
Date:  Aug 10, 2015
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Pegatron Corp (和碩) have received large orders from Apple Inc to assemble the next-generation iPhone, KGI Securities Co (凱基證券) said.

In a research report issued on Friday, KGI analyst Kuo Ming-chi (郭明錤) said Hon Hai is expected to become the sole assembler of the next 5.5-inch iPhone model.     [FULL  STORY]

Hotel restaurants nearly fully booked as rains abate

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/08
By: Zoe Wei and Y.F. Low

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) As winds and rains brought by Typhoon Soudelor abated in Taipei Saturday afternoon, many people in the city chose to keep their reservations at hotel restaurants that night or make new ones to celebrate Father’s Day.

According to Grand Garden Restaurant at The Grand Hotel, some people canceled their reservations at noon but new bookings began to come in during the afternoon.

Approximately 90 percent of the tables for Saturday night have been booked, and the tables for Sunday are also nearly fully booked, the restaurant said.     [FULL  STORY]

Hualien suffers heaviest agricultural losses in storm

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/08
By: Tsai Yu-shu and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Taiwan had suffered agricultural losses of NT$143.34 million 201508080023t0001(US$4.53 million) due to Typhoon Soudelor as of 2 p.m. Saturday, according to the Council of Agriculture (COA).

In a very preliminary assessment of the damage caused by the typhoon that is likely to increase in the coming days, the COA said Hualien County in eastern Taiwan suffered the biggest losses at NT$87.04 million.

It was followed by Taoyuan City at NT$18.4 million, New Taipei at NT$9.64 milion, Nantou County at NT$7.55 million and Miaoli County at NT$7.31 million.     [FULL  STORY]

SinoPac to lead way in non-China markets

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 08, 2015
By: Ted Chen  /  Staff reporter

SinoPac Financial Holdings Co’s (永豐金控) capital leasing unit is to spearhead efforts to tap into other Asian markets as Taiwanese businesses migrate away from China due to a higher risk profile and growing uncertainty over economic policy there, the company said yesterday.

The company’s plans to reach out to other parts of the region reflects its plans to leverage its strategic alliance with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC, 中國工商銀行) in participating in a Beijing infrastructural project initiative for Southeast Asia, as investment opportunities shrink in Taiwan, SinoPacFinancial Holdings said.

“Taiwanese businesses operating abroad have begun migrating to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, with some exploring opportunities in India, while investments in Taiwan have virtually come to a standstill,” SinoPac Financial Holdings president Yu Kuo-chih (游國治) told an investors’ conference.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan company wins WEF technology award

Taiwan Today
Date: 7 August 2015

A Taiwan firm specializing in transforming household waste into high-performance materials was recently named a 2015 Technology Pioneer by World Economic Forum, the first time for a local outfit to claim the prestigious honor.

Miniwiz Ltd.’s groundbreaking approach incorporates proprietary technologies, in-house engineering and architecture practices to create a new generation of resources utilizing recycled electronic and food waste, packaging and plastics.

One of the company’s more well-known solutions was employed in EcoARK, a major attraction during the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition. The nine-story-high facility comprised 1.5 million recycled polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, bottles.     [FULL  STORY]