The aggregate revenue of companies listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) grew at a much slower pace last month, as financial companies’ investments were affected by the Russia-Ukraine war and optoelectronics companies saw falling demand, the exchange’s data showed.
The combined revenue of the 963 TWSE-listed firms edged up 1.66 percent from a year earlier to NT$3.11 trillion (US$104.7 billion), after growing 14 percent in March, the data showed.
The TWSE said that 507 companies, or 52.6 percent, reported revenue growth, while 456 companies posted declines.
Photo: Maurice Tsai, Bloomberg
The financial sector saw revenue fall by NT$52.8 billion, or 23.61 percent, annually to NT$170.8 billion last month, affected by market volatility and the Russia-Ukraine war, the exchange said.
It was the fourth consecutive month that the financial sector posted a decline, but last month’s fall narrowed from March’s NT$103.3 billion, it said.
For the first four months of the year, the financial sector’s revenue decreased by NT$156.1 billion, or 16 percent, to NT$799.8 billion, TWSE data showed.
The optoelectronics sector reported the largest fall in revenue last month, down 24.06 percent year-on-year to NT$94.7 billion, as flat-panel prices dropped and demand weakened, the exchange said.
LCD panelmakers Innolux Corp (群創) and AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) reported that revenue declined 13.8 percent and 31 percent respectively last month, while smartphone camera lens maker Largan Precision Co (大立光) saw revenue contract 7.6 percent, companies’ data showed.
For the first four months, the optoelectronics sector reported that cumulative revenue dipped 8 percent to NT$434.7 billion, TWSE data showed.
The shipping sector’s revenue continued to rise last month on the back of higher freight rates, with sales advancing 60 percent to NT$158.5 billion, the exchange said.
The sector’s cumulative revenue in the first four months expanded 68 percent to NT$639.1 billion, it said.
The semiconductor sector, as well as the oil, gas and electricity sector, also continued to post strong revenue growth last month, the exchange said.
From January to last month, TWSE-listed firms’ aggregate revenue rose 9.89 percent from a year earlier to NT$12.9 trillion, TWSE data showed.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
MARKET LEADERSHIP: Investors are flocking to Nvidia, drawn by the company’s long-term fundamntals, dominant position in the AI sector, and pricing and margin power Two years after Nvidia Corp made history by becoming the first chipmaker to achieve a US$1 trillion market capitalization, an even more remarkable milestone is within its grasp: becoming the first company to reach US$4 trillion. After the emergence of China’s DeepSeek (深度求索) sent the stock plunging earlier this year and stoked concerns that outlays on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure were set to slow, Nvidia shares have rallied back to a record. The company’s biggest customers remain full steam ahead on spending, much of which is flowing to its computing systems. Microsoft Corp, Meta Platforms Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc are
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The
The US overtaking China as Taiwan’s top export destination could boost industrial development and wage growth, given the US is a high-income economy, an economist said yesterday. However, Taiwan still needs to diversify its export markets due to the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump’s administration, said Chiou Jiunn-rong (邱俊榮), an economics professor at National Central University. Taiwan’s exports soared to a record US$51.74 billion last month, driven by strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) products and continued orders, with information and communication technology (ICT) and audio/video products leading all sectors. The US reclaimed its position as Taiwan’s top export market, accounting for