Acer Inc, the country's only internationally recognized computer brand name, said yesterday that profits in the three months to Sept. 30 soared to more than seven times the figure for the same period last year.
Acer's profits after tax climbed from NT$523 million in the third quarter last year to NT$3.86 billion this year, the company told investors yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday was the first time Acer faced investors since the Acer Group spun off its manufacturing business in 2000 to focus on building a brand. The company struggled to make a profit until the third quarter last year.
Yesterday's result underscores the company's strong performance in the 12 months since then, with notebook sales up 91 percent year-on-year, sales of computer monitors up 81 percent, other computer products up 65 percent and desktop computers up 31 percent, Acer president Wang Chen-tang (
When the first three quarters are added together, Acer has made NT$5.87 billion in after-tax profit so far this year, including NT$3.7 billion from share sales.
The company is now well on track to reach its profit target for the year of NT$6 billion, but Wang said that there are concerns about rising component costs and increased competition.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) halted shipments to a customer this month after its semiconductors were sent to China’s Huawei Technologies Co (華為), potentially breaching US sanctions, a government official said. The US slapped sanctions on Huawei in 2019, and expanded them the following year, over fears its technology could be used for Beijing’s espionage operations. The restrictions prevent TSMC from selling semiconductors to Huawei. However, TSMC discovered on Oct. 11 that chips made for a “specific customer” had ended up with the Chinese company, a Taiwanese official with knowledge of the incident said on the condition of anonymity. TSMC “immediately activated
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TECH TITANS: Nvidia briefly overtook Apple again on Friday after becoming the world’s largest company for a short period in June, as Microsoft fell to third place Nvidia Corp dethroned Apple Inc as the world’s most valuable company on Friday following a record-setting rally in the stock, powered by insatiable demand for its specialized artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Nvidia’s stock market value briefly touched US$3.53 trillion, slightly above Apple’s US$3.52 trillion, London Stock Exchange Group data showed. Nvidia ended the day up 0.8 percent, with a market value of US$3.47 trillion, while Apple’s shares rose 0.4 percent, valuing the iPhone maker at US$3.52 trillion. In June, Nvidia briefly became the world’s most valuable company before it was overtaken by Microsoft Corp and Apple. The tech trio’s market capitalizations have been
Shares of Starlux Airlines Co (星宇航空) surged more than 53 percent on its debut on the Taiwan stock exchange yesterday. Starlux shares closed up 53.75 percent at NT$30.75 from its initial public offering price of NT$20 after retreating in late trading from a 60 percent rise. China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) rose 0.90 percent to close at NT$22.35, while EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) gained 0.40 percent to close at NT$37.70. In Taiwan, a newly listed stock is allowed to go beyond the 10 percent maximum increase or decline in its first five trading sessions. At the listing ceremony, Starlux chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒) said