Taiwan Economic News articles from April 2002

Taiwan Economic News archives from April 2002

MOEA pushing for scrapping of commodity tax.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Officials of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) plan to team up with the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) to push for the scrapping of commodity tax in order to stimulate investments...

Half of Taiwan IT firms' products to be made in mainland China.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--The ratio of production value of Taiwan's information technology (IT) industry in mainland China will surpass 50% for the first time and further widen the gap between the IT value of the two sides of the Taiwan...

Taiwan IT industry's output value to hit US$50 B. in 2002.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--The production value of Taiwan's information technology (IT) industry posted a strong growth rate of 23.7% in the first quarter of 2002 and the annual output value will achieve at least a 25% gain to hit a new...

Gov't to drive ahead development of digital content industry.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) of the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) yesterday approved a five-year plan to significantly boost the production value of the digital content industry in Taiwan...

Big discounts on industrial land rental starting May 1.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--The Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) under the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) yesterday approved proposals from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to give huge discounts on the rental of land...

Foreign IPOs, Taiwan firms to be free form import inspections.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--The Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has decided to adopt new measures to allow exemption of import inspection for large foreign firms' international procurement...

Taiwan adds over 70,000 life insurance sales reps last year.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--The number of registered life insurance salespeople reached 304,000 last year, an increase of 15% from the previous year, according to the Life Insurance Association of the Republic of China (LIA-ROC) The...

Fubon to take over insurance business of exiting foreigners.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Fubon Insurance Co. is planning to take over the businesses of foreign insurers exiting the local market due to poor performance here Fubon, a member of the newly formed Fubon Financial Holding Co., has...

UMC, TSMC may boost chip service prices this quarter.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) may slightly increase the prices of their foundry services this quarter as capacity utilization rates have risen to around...

CD-R disk makers mull price rise in second quarter.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Optical disk makers Ritek Corp. and CMC Magnetics Corp. plan to raise prices on recordable compact disk (CD-Rs) by 10% to 15% this quarter in response to heavy demand and depleting inventories in Europe. CMC...

Linux-based OS challenges Windows in Chinese market.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Chu Bong-foo, inventor of the ChangJie Chinese character input method, recently demonstrated a new Linux-based Chinese-language operating system, Chinese 2000, to challenge Microsoft's dominance in the Greater...

PCB raw material prices reportedly to rise.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Nan Ya Plastics Corp. and Taiwan Glass Ind. Corp. (TGI) reportedly plan to rise prices for fiberglass cloth and coated copper foil, key raw materials for making printed circuit boards (PCBs) Smaller...

Chunghwa Picture Tubes starts LCM production in mainland China.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. said yesterday that its new LCM (liquid crystal module) plant located in Wujiang in Jiangsu Province has started the formal production since the middle of April With a total...

Sunplus eyes after-tax EPS of NT$4.82 for 2002.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--With increasing sales of both digital camera ICs and MP3 decode chips in the second half, Sunplus Corp. expects its revenue will hit NT$8.71 billion in 2002, up 31% from 2001, and its after-tax earnings per...

Leadtech Research to earn more from communication products.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Leadtech Research Inc. said yesterday that its revenue from communication products has increased sharply since March and such revenue would have the opportunity to climb to NT$50 million in April. Sales of...

Record ratio seen in Taiwan's trade with mainland China.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--The ratio of Taiwan's two-way trade with mainland China to the island's total foreign trade in the first two months of the year posted a rise of four percentage points to hit 14.8%, a record high level ever seen...

Retail sales revenue up for 4th consecutive month in Feb.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--While Taiwan's overall commercial sales revenue continued its downward trend in February, the retail sales sector saw revenue expand for the fourth consecutive month, indicating the rise in the spending...

Turbocomm lost NT$0.2 per share in Q1.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Turbocomm Tech. Inc., a main local manufacturer of broadband Internet-access equipment listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, suffered pretax loss per share of NT$0.2 for the first quarter of this year Due to...

3 listed PCB makers earned below NT$1 per share in Q1.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Chin-Poon Industrial Co., Ltd., Elite Material Co., Ltd., and Ampoc Far-East Co., Ltd., three local manufacturers, recorded net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.69, NT$0.02, and NT$0.16,...

Greatek Electronics aims at net EPS of NT$1.77 for 2002.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Greatek Electronics Inc., a local provider of IC (integrated circuit) packaging and testing services listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE), projects net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) at NT$1.77 for...

Fubon led in Q1 premium among non-life insurers.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Fubon Insurance Co., Ltd., among all local and foreign non-life insurance companies operating in Taiwan, ranked first in terms of direct written premium for the first quarter of this year with NT$4.733 billion....

Taiwan's March polyester textured yarn stock hit one-year.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan's inventory volume of polyester textured yarn reached 51,335 metric tons at the end of March this year, the lowest monthly level since March 2001 According to the Taiwan Association of Synthetic...

Chunghwa Telecom shoots for net EPS of NT$5.12 in 2002.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--State-run Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., the largest domestic operator of fixed-line telecommunication and mobile phone services, announced yesterday its financial projection for this year, with net (after-tax)...

United Microelectronics to double capital expenditure in 2002.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--United Microelectronics Corp. announced yesterday it will double its capital expenditure in 2002 to US$1.6 billion from the previous budget of US$800 million "The sharp upward adjustment in the annual...

Cathay Financial Holding garnered NT$ 4.85 B. net profit in Q1.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Cathay Financial Holding Co. said yesterday its net profit in the first quarter totaled NT$4.85 billion, accounting for 37% of its target of NT$13.12 billion for 2002. Net earnings per share in the first three...

Hon Hai's net EPS hit NT$2.19 in Q1.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Hon Hai Precision Industry reported yesterday it snapped a net profit of NT$3.87 billion, or NT$2.19 per share, in the first quarter, beating market expectations The company expects its monthly revenue to...

Taiwan's bad check ratio hit lowest level since 1996.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan's bad check ratio in terms of the number of checks issued fell 0.04 of a percentage point to 0.64% in March, the lowest level since March 1996, the Central Bank of China reported yesterday. In terms of...

Taiwan shares tumble on Wall Street losses.
April 30, 2002... Taipei, April 30, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan shares sagged yesterday amid heavy selling of technology stocks following sharp slide in the U.S. shares last week, analysts said. The weighted price index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange fell 101.84 points,...

Exec Shuffle Prepares Hon Hai For High-Tech Transformation.
April 30, 2002... Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Taiwan's largest private manufacturer, is launching its biggest executive shuffle since the company was founded in 1974. The changes are expected to affect more than 10 high-ranking executives The move was...

Ho Tai Motor to deal out cash dividend of NT$1.5 per share for 2001.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Ho Tai Motor Co., Ltd., the general sales agent of domestically produced and imported Toyota car models listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE), will distribute a dividend per share of NT$1.5, all in cash,...

Taiwan Cellular, Far EasTone eye net EPS of over NT$3 for 2002.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan Cellular Corp. and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., Ltd., two leading local private operators of mobile phone services, predict net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) of NT$3.94 and NT$3.35,...

Taiwan's top bike maker earned NT$1.31 per share in Q1.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Giant Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the largest local bicycle manufacturer listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, posted net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) of NT$1.31 for the first quarter of this year Giant...

Gov't to borrow NT$35 billion short-term loans from banks.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The government will borrow NT$35 billion from local banks for 49 days at an average interest rate of 1.923% per annum, officials at the Department of National Treasury said late last week. The interest rate was...

Fubon Financial to include Fubon Securities Investment via stock swaps.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The board of Fubon Financial Holding Co. approved late last week a stock swap ratio to include Fubon Securities Investment Trust Co. in the holding company. Under an agreement, each share of Fubon Securities...

Taiwan's leading economic indicators post highest gain in 26 months.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan's composite index of leading indicators in March rose 2.4% from a month earlier, indicating that the island's economy is on track for recovery, the Council for Economic Planning and Development said late...

Gov't plans to expand Resolution Trust Fund to NT$320 billion.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The government plans to expand the size of the Resolution Trust Fund to NT$320 billion from the current NT$140 billion to speed up the restructuring of Taiwan's banking industry, Finance Minister Lee Yung-san...

Shin Kong Financial to issue NT$20.4 billion in bonds.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The board of Shin Kong Financial Holding Co. approved late last week the company's plans to raise new capital of NT$20.4 billion to finance its future expansion projects The fund-raising plans include the...

TSMC's revenue expected to hit NT$40 billion in Q2.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Sales of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in the second quarter is expected to hit NT$40 billion, up from NT$35.79 billion in the first quarter, TSMC Chairman Morris Chang said on the weekend. "We have...

Taiwan Cellphone Sales Signaling Strong Upturn.
April 29, 2002... Retailers of cellphones in Taiwan report sales growth in the range of 20% to 40% in the first quarter of this year, compared with first-quarter 2001, with total sales for the period amounting to 1.5 million units. Synnex Technology...

MOEA plans surcharge on water fees during dry seasons in Taiwan.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The Water Conservancy Agency (WAC) has drafted a new plan that will add a surcharge on water fee during the dry season from November through April each year in a bid to help conserve water and fight against the...

Gov't to build seawater desalination plants for high-tech plants.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The government plans to inject NT$40 billion in the next six years to cultivate new water resources in order to ensure adequate water supply to support the latest six-year economic development project In...

Negotiator Koo calls for resumption of Taipei-Beijing talks.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Chairman Koo Chen-fu of the semiofficial Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) in Taipei yesterday called for resumption of formal negotiations between the SEF and its counterpart Association for Relations Across...

Rises of Taiwan share prices cut key shareholders' debts.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The successive rallies of share prices on Taiwan stock market in recent months have not only boosted sharply the stock prices of most listed traditional manufacturing firms on the Taiwan Stock Exchange but also...

VIA Tech to have more employees in mainland than Taiwan.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--VIA Technologies Inc., the leading chipmaker and chip designers in Taiwan, is expected to maintain a larger team of employees in mainland China than the workforce in Taiwan two years later VIA Technologies...

Key suppliers to Dell, HP-Compaq may be forced to choose sides.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--There are market reports that major personal computer suppliers in Taiwan will be forced to choose sides between either Dell Computer and the newly merged team of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq in their future...

Lite-On Electronic enjoyed 100% pretax profit in Q1.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Lite-On Electronic Inc. raked in revenue of NT$4.29 billion in the first quarter, up 15% from the same period of 2001; and its pretax profit totaled NT$445 million, up 100% and translating into pretax earnings...

Benq to post new high revenue, after-tax profit in 2002.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Due to brisk sales from major product lines, Benq Corp. expects its revenue will hit NT$96.2 billion in 2002, with after-tax profit reaching NT$8.3 billion, respectively up 64% and 165% from 2001 and...

Everlight Electronic targets pretax EPS of NT$2.08 for 2002.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Everlight Electronic Co., a major local maker of light emitting diodes (LEDs), projected yesterday that its pretax earnings per share (EPS) to rise sharply to NT$2.08 this year from NT$0.19 recorded last year,...

Elitegroup Computer's revenue to double to over NT$60 B. in 2002.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Elitegroup Computer System Corp. claimed yesterday that its revenue target would hit NT$63.13 billion in 2002, up 100% from 2001. The firm's pretax profit is projected at NT$4.2 billion, equivalent to earnings...

Macronix International saw revenue drop 35% in Q1.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Macronix International Co. raked in revenue of only NT$2.83 billion in the first quarter, down 35% from the fourth quarter of 2001 and plunging 59% from the same period of last year, Wu Ming-chiu, company...

Average profit rate of makers in Taiwan hit one-year high of 4.4% in March.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--The average sales profit rate of the manufacturing sector in Taiwan rose to a one-year high of 4.4% in March, up 0.9 of a percentage point from February, according to findings of a government survey. Officials...

Finance Minister urges raising bad loan reserve ratio to 30%.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Finance Minister Lee Yung-shan said late last week that the average reserve ratio recorded by domestic banks against bad loans should be raised to 30% from the existing 20% to improve their financial status ...

Top 2 wool makers recorded mixed profit performances in Q1.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Reward Wool Industry Corp. and Chuwa Wool Industry Co., (Taiwan) Ltd., the top two local producers of wool products, saw mixed profit performances in the first quarter, with the former enjoying an annual profit...

Zig Sheng led in Q1 net EPS among 5 listed textured yarn makers.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Zig Sheng Industrial Co., Ltd., among five listed local manufacturers of polyester textured yarn, recorded the highest net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.33 for the first quarter of this year ...

Qualitek, Chant World suffered net losses in Q1.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Qualitek Electronics Co., Ltd. and Chant world International Co., Ltd., two main local PCB (printed circuit board) makers listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, recorded net (after-tax) losses per share of NT$0.68...

Faraday, Acer Laboratories earned NT$0.9, NT$0.67 in Q1.
April 29, 2002... Taipei, April 29, 2002 (CENS)--Faraday Technology Corp. and Acer Laboratories Inc., two main local IC (integrated circuit) designers/producers listed on the local Taisdaq bourse, recorded net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.9 and...

Taiwan's global competitiveness falls to 24th place.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--The latest survey of by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) located in Lausanne, Switzerland, ranks Taiwan as the 24th most competitive country in the world, falling from the 18th place...

Violators of vocational insurance rules to face stiffer fines.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--The Legislative Yuan ratified yesterday the Vocational Insurance Law that will offer unemployment payment and other benefits to domestic employees when they involuntarily lose their jobs The new rules also...

Cabinet said planning to scrap tax on retained earnings.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--The Executive Yuan (Cabinet) is reportedly considering to eliminate the 10% business income tax levied on the retained earnings of corporations but the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has not yet softened its...

104 job website bucks Internet downturn.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--104 Corp., operator of Taiwan's top human resource website '104.com,' recently posted revenue of NT$299 million (US$8.59 million at US$1:NT$34.8) last year, with earnings per share of NT$9.48 (US$0.27) The...

TAITRONICS Spring Show kicks off.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--The 2002 Taipei International Electronics Spring Show (TAITRONICS) and TaipeiOpto 2002 kicked off yesterday at the Taipei World Trade Center The two shows, which run until April 29, are organized by the...

UMC obtains RISC technology license from SuperH.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), a contract chipmaker, recently announced it has been licensed to use the 32-bit SH4-200 series embedded RISC (reduced instruction set computing) microprocessor technology...

China Steel plans new facilities in mainland and Vietnam.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--To boost competitiveness and overseas capacity, Taiwanese steel maker China Steel Corp. will construct a US$120 million magnesium-alloy factory in mainland China and a US$105 million facility in Vietnam for...

SiS pushes into high-end graphic chip market with Xabre400.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. (SiS), a leading core logic and graphics chip supplier in Taiwan, recently demonstrated a new mid- to high-end graphic chip, the Xabre400 Company president Liu Ming-jun said...

Optimer to set up a Taiwan subsidiary for drug clinical trials.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc. of the United States will soon set up a subsidiary in Taiwan to conduct clinical trials for new drugs, according to the bio-pharmaceutical maker Hwang San-bao, chief technology...

Prolink Microsystems netted pretax EPS of NT$2.36 in Q1.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Prolink Microsystems Corp. posted pretax profit of NT$91 million in the first quarter, up 113% from the same period of 2001 and translating into pretax earnings per share (EPS) of NT$2.36 based on existing...

Action Electronics eyes 150% pretax profit growth for 2002.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--With brisk sales of LCDs (liquid crystal displays) and relevant products, Action Electronics Co. expects its pretax profit may grow 150% from 2001 to hit NT$350 million in 2002 for earnings per share (EPS) of...

Premier Camera expects 40% revenue growth in Q1.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Premier Camera Taiwan Ltd. said yesterday that its revenue would grow by over 40% in the second quarter, compared with the first quarter, due to full orders for digital cameras. Its revenue for 2002 is expected...

Silicon Integrated Systems earns NT$0.02 per share in Q1.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Silicon Integrated Systems Corp. said yesterday that its after-tax profits reached NT$26 million in the first quarter, translating into earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.02, marking the first time for the firm to...

NT$ ends up for 9th straight session on strong yen.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--The New Taiwan dollar yesterday closed higher against the U.S. dollar for the ninth straight session amid the strengthening of the Japanese yen, dealers said. The N.T. dollar moved up NT$0.025 to end at...

Chinatrust raises earnings target to NT$15 B. for 2002.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Chinatrust Commercial Bank, one of the leading private banks in Taiwan, yesterday announced raising its projected pretax earnings for 2002 to NT$15.02 billion, up NT$2.985 billion from the earlier-forecast...

Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board to be privatized.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--The Legislative Yuan yesterday ratified a proposal to privatize and restructure the state-run Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Board (TTWB) into the Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Corp Based on the statute governing...

Compeq lost, Unitech earned in Q1.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Compeq Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and Unitech Printed Circuit Board Corp., two local PCB (printed circuit board) maker listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, recorded pretax loss of NT$160 million and pretax profit...

2 listed synthetic leather makers posted Q1 EPS of about NT$0.3.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--San Fang Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. and Union Leather & Printing Corp., two local manufacturers of synthetic leather listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, reaped earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.32 and NT$0.28,...

Chi Mei lowers domestic prices of ABS, PS for May.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Chi Mei Corp. recently announced lowering its domestic sales prices of ABS (copolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene) and PS (polystyrene) by NT$1 and NT$2, respectively, per kilogram for May The...

Fu Sheng Industrial aims at net EPS of NT$3.64 for 2002.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Fu Sheng Industrial Co., Ltd., the largest local manufacturer of gold heads listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, anticipates net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) of NT$3.64 for this year Apart from...

Cheng Shin Rubber earned NT$0.63 per share in Q1.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Cheng Shin Rubber Industrial Co., Ltd., a local car tire manufacturer listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, recorded net (after-tax) earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.63 for the first quarter of this year ...

Corolla Altis appeared Taiwan's best-selling car model in Q1.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Corolla Altis, a Toyota sedan model produced by the local manufacturer Kuozui Motors, Ltd., recorded the highest domestic sales volume of 9,504 units among all models of Taiwan-made and imported new...

Taiwan's M2 money supply grew 4.43% in March.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan's M2 money supply, the broadest measure of money flows, rose 4.43% year-on-year in March, down slightly from February's 4.44% growth, the Central Bank of China said yesterday. March's M2 money supply...

TSMC saw net profit fall 21.8% in Q1.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday its net profit fell 21.8% on year to NT$6.59 billion in the first quarter of the year. However, the figure was 46%...

Taiwan shares sag on selling of tech, financial stocks.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Taiwan shares tumbled yesterday on selling of technology and financial issues by institutional investors, analysts said. Asustek Computer led the decline trend after investment bank UBS Warburg downgraded its...

70% of Taiwan's top 1,000 firms to increase investments domestically.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--More than 70% of Taiwan's top 1,000 enterprises plans to increase their investments on the island during this year, according to a recent survey released by CommonWealth Magazine yesterday. Meanwhile, over 90%...

Taiwan banks' investments and loans hit 27-month low as of March.
April 26, 2002... Taipei, April 26, 2002 (CENS)--Total investments and loans outstanding at Taiwan's financial institutions totaled NT$15.89 trillion at the end of March, the lowest level in 27 months, the Central Bank of China said yesterday. The figure also...

Asia Cement Moves Into China In a Big Way.
April 26, 2002... Asia Cement Corp. plans to have five cement plants with a total of 10 kilns operating in mainland China within the next 10 years, thereby boosting its total output in the mainland and Taiwan to 25 million metric tons a year. This is more than...