HANDOVER POLICY: Approving the probe means that the new US administration of Donald Trump is likely to have the option to impose trade restrictions on China
US President Joe Biden’s administration is set to initiate a trade investigation into Chinese semiconductors in the coming days as part of a push to reduce reliance on a technology that US officials believe poses national security risks.The probe could result in tariffs or other measures to restrict
Shares in Japanese chipmaker Kioxia Holdings Corp closed 10 percent higher in Tokyo yesterday after an initial public offering (IPO) that valued the firm at more than US$5 billion.Formerly the semiconductor unit of Japanese engineering giant Toshiba Corp, the firm is the world’s third-largest produc
The political turmoil in South Korea is weighing on the economy, Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Rhee Chang-yong said yesterday, suggesting that authorities might downgrade growth forecasts and take stabilizing actions in response.There is a high chance South Korea’s GDP would grow 2.1 percent this yea
United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) yesterday said that it has no immediate plans to set up a production site in the US amid speculation that the Taiwanese company might come under pressure to invest in the US market.The comments came after the Chinese-language Mirror Media reported earlier yeste
Taiwan and Europe on Tuesday voiced their backing for an agreement signed last month to settle a dispute over investment conditions in Taiwan’s offshore wind sector.The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade) said in a statement after the annual EU-Taiwan Trade and Investment
Airoha Technology Corp (達發科技), the world’s No. 2 supplier of bluetooth chips used in Android-based true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones, yesterday said it aims to outgrow the industry next year, benefiting from market share gains and robust demand for bluetooth chips for headphones.The company said
Container shipper Wan Hai Lines Ltd (萬海航運) yesterday said it expects freight rates and business to remain healthy in the next few quarters, helped by rerouting needs and inventory building demand to dodge tariff hikes.“We are positive about the business outlook in next six months and the second half
Infineon Technologies AG vice president for operations Lo Han-cheng, fourth left, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, fourth right, and others gesture behind a lion-dance performance at a news conference to open the German chipmaker’s Kaohsiung office yesterday. The Kaohsiung office is Infineon’s third of
CHIP SUBSIDY: The US funding would help alleviate the financial pressure from building two fabs in the US and should lift gross margins in 2026, the company said
GlobalWafers Co (環球晶圓), the world’s third-largest silicon wafer supplier, yesterday said it is to receive US$406 million in subsidies from the US Department of Commerce for two new US fabs under the CHIPS and Science Act, with the first batch of the funds likely coming next year.The grant represents
HOT REAL ESTATE: The central bank has asked banks to lower their ratio of mortgages to deposits and debentures, forcing lenders to seek more funds
The nation’s biggest banks are stepping up efforts to draw deposits from individuals and companies, responding to regulator demands for them to reduce a key ratio tracking their exposure to the nation’s hot housing market. Multiple bank employees told Bloomberg News that domestic lenders are aggress
Taiwan’s social protection expenditure (SPE) last year picked up 3.1 percent to NT$2.63 trillion (US$80.89 billion), with social benefits comprising 98.6 percent, as the population ages, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said on Monday.Social protection, or social security
CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控) announced on Monday that the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) have selected the company as a component of the DJSI World Index for the fifth consecutive year and have for the ninth straight year listed it on the DJSI Emerging Markets Index, as the company lead
Taiwan Ratings Corp (中華信評) has raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth next year from 2.1 percent to 2.4 percent, as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) products would provide a solid buffer against potential challenges.“Strong and rising demand for AI-related devices will contin
A annual report released by aviation data provider OAG yesterday reveals that seven of the world’s 10 busiest international airline routes this year connect destinations within the wider Asia-Pacific region, a sign of a long-awaited travel comeback for Asia. Two more connected cities in the Middle E
OpenAI on Monday said it is making ChatGPT-powered Internet search available to all users, escalating its threat to Google’s dominance. The San Francisco-based tech firm had beefed up its ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot with search engine capabilities in late October, but mad
An aerial picture shows workers harvesting ice from the frozen Songhua River on Monday in preparation for the annual Harbin Ice and Snow World festival in Harbin, China.
RATE DEBATE: While the ECB said it was on track to lower interest rates, experts said the BOJ could raise rates at their meeting this week or as soon as next month
The European Central Bank (ECB) is to lower borrowing costs further as the inflation spike of the past few years increasingly moves into the rearview mirror, bringing the 2 percent target within reach, ECB President Christine Lagarde said yesterday.After a “lengthy period of restrictive policy,” the
China’s retail sales growth weakened last month, official data showed yesterday, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world’s No. 2 economy.The country is battling sluggish domestic consumption, a persistent crisis in the property sector and soaring government debt — all of which threate
ON A TEAR: Despite bitcoin’s seven-week winning streak, its longest run since 2021, the pace of gains has cooled, indicating a ‘pullback’ might be coming, an analyst said
Bitcoin rose to a record high on US president-elect Donald Trump’s support for digital assets and optimism about the upcoming inclusion of MicroStrategy Inc, an accumulator of the token, in a key US stock gauge.The largest virtual currency rose more than 3 percent at one point yesterday in Asia to a
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