BANKING
FSC fines Mega International
The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) yesterday fined Mega International Commercial Bank (兆豐銀行) NT$3 million (US$93,000) for oversights in its internal control protocols that led to it accepting US$2.44 million in counterfeit money deposits earlier this year. The bank was found to have contravened the Banking Act (銀行法) by failing to detect a sudden rise in transactions in the account involved in the case, which had been idle between December 2013 and January.
SUGAR
Taisugar to pay record profit
Shareholders of state-run Taiwan Sugar Co (Taisugar, 台糖) yesterday approved dividends of NT$2.7 per share. The amount surpassed last year’s distribution of NT$1.9 and is the highest in the company’s history. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, which holds an 86 percent stake in the company, is estimated to contribute NT$13.1 billion in revenue to the treasury. The company reported that operating profit in the first five months of this year totaled NT$3.2 billion, of which NT$2.8 billion was from its core businesses.
AUTOMAKERS
Yulon considering subsidiary
Yulon Group (裕隆集團) yesterday announced that it is mulling plans to establish a NT$3 billion construction subsidiary as part of the automobile conglomerate’s plan to expand into the real-estate market. The subsidiary might oversee the company’s massive land development project at its abandoned factory in New Taipei City’s Xindian District (新店). The company said the project is expected to receive approval from regulators next year and be completed by 2020. Shareholders also approved dividends of NT$0.9 per share, the highest in four years.
TEXTILES
Eclat to pay record dividends
Textile manufacturer Eclat Textile Co (儒鴻) shareholders yesterday approved record-high dividends of NT$10.5 per share. The company expects sales to experience faster growth in the second half of this year as global markets are forecast to see annual growth of between 10 percent and 15 percent this year, barring significant foreign exchange fluctuations. The company plans to continue developing new products based on its expertise in functional fabrics.
CHIPMAKERS
Inotera confirms sale price
DRAM chipmaker Inotera Memories Inc (華亞科技) yesterday confirmed the price of its acquisition by US company Micron Technology Inc at NT$30 per share, the firm said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Micron may purchase the remaining 67 percent share of Inotera on Friday, dispelling speculation that the price of the deal had been slashed to less than NT$20 per share. Inotera shares yesterday gained 0.79 percent to close at NT$25.65
EQUITIES
TAIEX ends at day’s high
The TAIEX yesterday rose 58.93 points, or 0.68 percent, closing at the day’s high of 8,684.85 after an early low of 8,627.40 on turnover of NT$68.71 billion. Buying momentum extended from the previous session as investors were encouraged by solid gains on Monday on Wall Street and European markets, amid reduced worries over a possible departure by Britain from the EU, dealers said. However, with turnover remaining low, the broader market failed to overcome technical resistance at 8,700 points, dealers said.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Chizuko Kimura has become the first female sushi chef in the world to win a Michelin star, fulfilling a promise she made to her dying husband to continue his legacy. The 54-year-old Japanese chef regained the Michelin star her late husband, Shunei Kimura, won three years ago for their Sushi Shunei restaurant in Paris. For Shunei Kimura, the star was a dream come true. However, the joy was short-lived. He died from cancer just three months later in June 2022. He was 65. The following year, the restaurant in the heart of Montmartre lost its star rating. Chizuko Kimura insisted that the new star is still down
While China’s leaders use their economic and political might to fight US President Donald Trump’s trade war “to the end,” its army of social media soldiers are embarking on a more humorous campaign online. Trump’s tariff blitz has seen Washington and Beijing impose eye-watering duties on imports from the other, fanning a standoff between the economic superpowers that has sparked global recession fears and sent markets into a tailspin. Trump says his policy is a response to years of being “ripped off” by other countries and aims to bring manufacturing to the US, forcing companies to employ US workers. However, China’s online warriors