STOCK MARKET
TWSE approves chairman
The the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s (TWSE) board of directors on Friday approved the appointment of former minister without portfolio Hsu Chang-yao (許璋瑤) as its chairman. The 66-year-old Hsu from 2004 to 2008 served as head of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, and was named minister without portfolio in charge of accounting, statistics and financial affairs in May last year. The government had been looking for a new chairman for the exchange since former chairman Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉) became vice premier in September.
ENERGY
New CPC chair appointed
The Ministry of Economic Affairs on Friday appointed Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology principal Tai Chein (戴謙) to lead CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油). The state-run oil refiner is scheduled to convene a board meeting today to officially elect Tai as chairman, the ministry said. Tai was formerly vice minister of the National Science Council before he became principal of the university in August 2007. The ministry said Tai’s appointment reflects his expertise in science and his management capabilities.
AVIATION
CAL partners with Airbus
Airbus SE has chosen China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) to become one of its maintenance, repair and overhaul suppliers in Asia, a press release said on Thursday. CAL senior vice president Houng Wang (王宏) said the company will also provide aircraft conversion services for the European firm. After opening a new hangar next year, Wang said the company is confident that its growing capabilities will offer comprehensive solutions to support Airbus aircraft in Taiwan.
When an apartment comes up for rent in Germany’s big cities, hundreds of prospective tenants often queue down the street to view it, but the acute shortage of affordable housing is getting scant attention ahead of today’s snap general election. “Housing is one of the main problems for people, but nobody talks about it, nobody takes it seriously,” said Andreas Ibel, president of Build Europe, an association representing housing developers. Migration and the sluggish economy top the list of voters’ concerns, but analysts say housing policy fails to break through as returns on investment take time to register, making the
NOT TO WORRY: Some people are concerned funds might continue moving out of the country, but the central bank said financial account outflows are not unusual in Taiwan Taiwan’s outbound investments hit a new high last year due to investments made by contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and other major manufacturers to boost global expansion, the central bank said on Thursday. The net increase in outbound investments last year reached a record US$21.05 billion, while the net increase in outbound investments by Taiwanese residents reached a record US$31.98 billion, central bank data showed. Chen Fei-wen (陳斐紋), deputy director of the central bank’s Department of Economic Research, said the increase was largely due to TSMC’s efforts to expand production in the US and Japan. Investments by Vanguard International
WARNING SHOT: The US president has threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on all imported vehicles, and similar or higher duties on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors US President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested that a trade deal with China was “possible” — a key target in the US leader’s tariffs policy. The US in 2020 had already agreed to “a great trade deal with China” and a new deal was “possible,” Trump said. Trump said he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit the US, without giving a timeline for his trip. Trump also said that he was talking to China about TikTok, as the US seeks to broker a sale of the popular app owned by Chinese firm ByteDance Ltd (字節跳動). Trump last week said that he had
STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE: The group is proposing a consortium of investors, with Tesla as the largest backer, and possibly a minority investment by Hon Hai Precision Nissan Motor Co shares jumped after the Financial Times reported that a high-level Japanese group has drawn up plans to seek investment from Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc to aid the struggling automaker. The group believes the electric vehicle (EV) maker is interested in acquiring Nissan’s plants in the US, the newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify. The proposal envisions a consortium of investors, with Tesla as the largest backer, but also includes the possibility of a minority investment by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) to prevent a full takeover by the Apple supplier, the report said. The group is