Container shipper Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp (陽明海運) yesterday reported a record net profit of NT$60.86 billion (US$2.04 billion) in the first quarter, up 148 percent from NT$24.51 billion a year earlier.
Earnings per share (EPS) were NT$17.35, up from NT$7.49 a year earlier, it said.
The shipper attributed the profit growth to robust cargo demand and higher freight rates, which pushed revenue to expand 71 percent annually to NT$106.7 billion, it said in a statement.
Photo: CNA
Yang Ming said its gross profit advanced 142 percent to NT$75 billion and operating profit rose 148 percent to NT$72.3 billion in the first quarter.
Last week, Evergreen Marine Corp (長榮海運), the nation’s largest container shipper, also posted a record net profit of NT$101 billion in the first quarter, up 180 percent year-on-year, with EPS expanding from NT$7.04 to NT$19.16 over the period.
Wan Hai Lines Ltd (萬海航運), which focuses on the Asian market, also posted a record net profit of NT$40.61 billion last quarter, up 185 percent from a year earlier, with EPS widening to NT$16.64 from NT$6.62 a year earlier.
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