ELECTRONIC ASSISTANCE: The sector increased 11.9 percent from the same period in 2018, due to demand from China, the US and Japan, the Ministry of Finance said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 08, 2020
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Exports last month rose for a second straight month, increasing 4 percent from a year earlier to US$29.5 billion, as electronics shipments rose ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, while declines in non-tech products tapered off, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.

Following November last year’s 3.3 percent year-on-year increase, the latest data suggest a recovery for technology products as the US and China move to solve their trade dispute, the ministry said.

“The pickup is evident for electronics, the mainstay of Taiwanese exports, which saw an 11.9 percent increase from a year earlier,” thanks to active inventory demand from China, the US and Japan, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing in Taipei.

Semiconductor shipments grew 14.2 percent to US$9.4 billion on the back of 5G deployments by Chinese technology brands, Tsai said.    [FULL  STORY]

SUPPLY CRUNCH: The company, which last year generated most of its revenue from conductive paste, plans to expand its product lineup and diversify its customer portfolio

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 07, 2020
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter

Ample Electronic Technology Co (勤凱科技) said it has a positive revenue outlook for the first half of this year, after sales surged last month on the back of rebounding customer demand.

Consolidated revenue last month increased 91.65 percent to an all-time high of NT$73.25 million (US$2.43 million) from NT$38.22 million a year earlier, the Kaohsiung-based company, which supplies conductive paste primarily to passive component makers, said yesterday.

Revenue last year sank 17.39 percent to NT$589.2 million from NT$713.25 million in 2018 due to excess inventory in the supply chain, Ample said.

The company generated 90 to 95 percent of its revenue from conductive paste used in passive components, it said.    [FULL  STORY]

TECHNOLOGY LEADER: The firm reported record revenue of NT$60.75 billion for the whole of last year, and plans to release its Q4 earnings results on Thursday

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 06, 2020
By: Chen Cheng-hui  /  Staff reporter

Largan Precision Co (大立光) yesterday reported a 58.04 percent increase in consolidated revenue for last month from a year earlier to NT$5.099 billion (US$169.37 million), but a decline of 23.38 percent from November, ending four consecutive months of gains.

Last month’s figure was the lowest since June last year, when it stood at NT$4.08 billion, as the industry has entered its slow season, and was also a result of the soft order pull-in by Apple Inc and Chinese smartphone vendors, analysts said.

Its 20-megapixel lenses and high-end models, which command higher prices, accounted for 20 to 30 percent of its total sales last month, while its 10-megapixel lenses made up 40 to 50 percent and 8-megapixel lenses 10 to 20 percent, the Taichung-based smartphone lens set supplier said in a statement.

Largan is the world’s largest supplier of handset lens sets, focusing on high-end products for Apple’s iPhone and Android phone vendors, such as Huawei Technologies Ltd (華為) and Samsung Electronics Co.    [FULL  STORY]

STABILITY: One analyst said that while there was volatility during the session, the index held above the five-day moving average, a sign it is still technically healthy

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 05, 2020
By: Staff writer, with CNA and AFP

Local shares on Friday closed slightly higher as investors moved to the sell side to lock in an earlier almost 100-point upturn following re-emerging geopolitical concerns after an Iraqi TV report that a senior Iranian military commander was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad, dealers said.

Selling focused on select large-cap tech stocks, with contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) remaining resilient on the back of late trading to lend support to the broader market, they said.

The spike in political tensions in the Middle East pushed up international crude oil prices, leading buying to shift to major petrochemical stocks, which served as an anchor to stabilize the main board, they added.

The TAIEX on Friday ended up 9.95 points, or 0.08 percent, at 12,110.43, gaining 0.2 percent from a close of 12,091.59 on Dec. 27, after moving between 12,023.60 and 12,197.64, on turnover of NT$192.78 billion (US$6.4 billion).    [FULL  STORY]

TWSE HOPEFUL: With economic uncertainty in Taiwan expected to subside and growth to improve, the number of IPOs this year should rise, a TWSE executive said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 04, 2020
By: Kao Shih-ching  /  Staff reporter

The number of initial public offerings (IPO) on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) is expected to slightly rebound from 19 last year to 24 this year due to an improving local economy and technology firms seeking to raise capital from equity markets, the exchange said yesterday.

Last year’s IPO count fell 34 percent from 29 in 2018, missing a TWSE target of 28, as many companies delayed their debuts given uncertainty in the global and local economies, TWSE Chairman Hsu Jan-yau (許璋瑤) told a news conference in Taipei.

Many foreign bourses also reported declines in IPO activity due to companies’ conservative outlook, Hsu said.

The number of IPOs on the London Stock Exchange fell 42 percent to 63, while on the New York Stock Exchange, they halved to 28, he said.    [FULL  STORY]