PROGRESS: Companies involved in 5G deployment and artificial intelligence applications are evolving and should be ready for an IPO in the next two years, a PwC partner said

Taipei Times
Date:  Dec 31, 2019
By: Crystal Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Led by the technology sector, the nation’s initial public offering (IPO) market could stage a rebound next year, after hitting rock bottom this year because of US-China trade tensions, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Taiwan said yesterday.

The number of IPOs could rise to 50 next year, from a record low of 39 this year, as the US and China eye a trade deal and companies make adjustments to rein in uncertainties, PwC Taiwan assurance services partner Lin Yi-fan (林一帆) said at a media briefing in Taipei.

“Firms involved in 5G deployment and artificial intelligence applications have evolved to such an extent that they would be ready for an IPO in the next two years,” Lin said.

The target is reasonable, as the Taiwan Stock Exchange and the Taipei Exchange have each said that their goal is to host 24 IPOs next year, he said.    [FULL  STORY]

PRIME BANDWIDTH: Competition in the 3.5GHz auction is tipped to be intense, as the three biggest players are seeking 100MHz each, but only 270MHz is available

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 30, 2019
By: Chen Cheng-hui  /  Staff reporter

Spending at the nation’s first 5G spectrum auction is likely to exceed market expectations, as none of the telecom companies are expected to back down from a battle that is likely to determine their market positions over the next decade, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) said.

Total bids could top NT$100 billion (US$3.3 billion) by the end of this week if bidding continues at its current pace, Yuanta said, adding that when the auction ends next month, the total might rival the NT$118.65 billion total bids in the 4G auction in 2013.

As of Friday, the 14th day of the 5G auction, bids totaled NT$74.642 billion, the National Communications Commission said in a statement on its Web site.

Bids for the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) band remained the most popular, garnering NT$73.2 billion, and bids reached NT$1.442 billion for the 2.8GHz band, although nobody had expressed interest in the 1.8GHz band, the commission said.    [FULL  STORY]

WUXI PLANS:Yenrich Technology has agreed on an investment framework to make mini-LED and micro-LED displays, Epistar said, while production is planned for 2023

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 27, 2019
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter

LED chipmaker Epistar Corp (晶電) yesterday said that a fully owned unit is in talks with Chinese LED display maker Leyard Opto-Electronic Co (利亞德光電) to build the world’s first micro-LED display manufacturing site in China.

The unit, Yenrich Technology Corp (元豐新科技), and Leyard have agreed on an investment framework to create a joint venture to develop and manufacture mini-LED and micro-LED displays, Epistar said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

The “investment would only be made after legal procedures are completed,” Epistar said.

Epistar did not disclose the size of the investment.    [‘FULL  STORY]

ON THE BRINK: Taiwan’s trade surplus with the US climbed to US$19.26bn in the first 10 months. The threshold to decide whether a nation is a currency manipulator is US$20bn

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 25, 2019
By: Lisa Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday said that it plans to increase purchases of US goods such as agricultural products and crude oil in an attempt to narrow its trade surplus with the US and avoid being placed on Washington’s currency monitoring list.

Taiwan is at risk of being added to the currency manipulation watch list, as the nation’s trade surplus with the US is expected to surpass the US$20 billion threshold set by the US, the central bank said.

In the first 10 months of this year, Taiwan saw its trade surplus with the US climb to US$19.26 billion, statistics from the monetary policymaker showed.

The three criteria used by the US Department of the Treasury to determine whether a country or territory is a currency manipulator are: a significant trade surplus with the US, a material current-account surplus and involvement in persistent one-sided intervention in foreign exchange markets.
[FULL  STORY]