Housing agency Hiyes International Co (海悅國際開發) and elevator maker Golden Friends Corp (崇友實業) are expecting stable business growth this year, as the local property market steadily emerges from a slowdown induced by economic uncertainty and tight monetary policy.
Hiyes said business visibility is better this quarter from a year earlier, judging by agency cases and construction revenue.
Things might be quieter during the second quarter of the year, as developers would seek to digest unsold houses and launch major presale projects in the third and fourth quarters that would generate billions of revenue, it said.
Photo: CNA
Hiyes said it is cautiously assessing whether to undertake urban renewal projects in Taipei and New Taipei City in a bid to diversify its income sources and strengthen its competitive edge.
The company in December last year recognized construction revenue of NT$2.47 billion (US$78.02 million) from a mixed-use complex in Taichung, which helped boost net income to NT$1.66 billion for the whole of last year, or earnings per share of NT$13.86.
The results represent a 77.16 percent improvement from 2022 on the back of strong demand after the government in August last year introduced interest subsidies and other favorable lending terms for first-home purchases regardless of the age of the buyer.
Hiyes last week said that it plans to distribute a NT$7 per share in cash dividend and another NT$2 stock dividend from last year’s earnings, equivalent to a payout ratio of 64.9 percent.
Elevator maker Golden Friends last week posted record-high earnings per share of NT$5.06 for last year, up 5.57 percent from a year earlier, thanks to stable demand, maintenance requirements and the divestment of an office building in Kaohsiung.
Revenue last year grew 11.16 percent to NT$5.27 billion, the company said, due to more elevator demand from new residential complexes and office buildings.
The company has proposed distributing a NT$4 per share cash dividend from last year’s earnings, indicating a payout ratio of 80 percent.
The company said it has a guarded, but optimistic view for this year with ample orders on hand that would provide profit momentum.
The company said that it is to introduce artificial intelligence and environment-friendly technologies when developing new elevators.
Taiwan’s technology protection rules prohibits Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) from producing 2-nanometer chips abroad, so the company must keep its most cutting-edge technology at home, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks in response to concerns that TSMC might be forced to produce advanced 2-nanometer chips at its fabs in Arizona ahead of schedule after former US president Donald Trump was re-elected as the next US president on Tuesday. “Since Taiwan has related regulations to protect its own technologies, TSMC cannot produce 2-nanometer chips overseas currently,” Kuo said at a meeting of the legislature’s
TECH WAR CONTINUES: The suspension of TSMC AI chips and GPUs would be a heavy blow to China’s chip designers and would affect its competitive edge Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, is reportedly to halt supply of artificial intelligence (AI) chips and graphics processing units (GPUs) made on 7-nanometer or more advanced process technologies from next week in order to comply with US Department of Commerce rules. TSMC has sent e-mails to its Chinese AI customers, informing them about the suspension starting on Monday, Chinese online news outlet Ijiwei.com (愛集微) reported yesterday. The US Department of Commerce has not formally unveiled further semiconductor measures against China yet. “TSMC does not comment on market rumors. TSMC is a law-abiding company and we are
FLEXIBLE: Taiwan can develop its own ground station equipment, and has highly competitive manufacturers and suppliers with diversified production, the MOEA said The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday disputed reports that suppliers to US-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) had been asked to move production out of Taiwan. Reuters had reported on Tuesday last week that Elon Musk-owned SpaceX had asked their manufacturers to produce outside of Taiwan given geopolitical risks and that at least one Taiwanese supplier had been pushed to relocate production to Vietnam. SpaceX’s requests place a renewed focus on the contentious relationship Musk has had with Taiwan, especially after he said last year that Taiwan is an “integral part” of China, sparking sharp criticism from Taiwanese authorities. The ministry said
US President Joe Biden’s administration is racing to complete CHIPS and Science Act agreements with companies such as Intel Corp and Samsung Electronics Co, aiming to shore up one of its signature initiatives before US president-elect Donald Trump enters the White House. The US Department of Commerce has allocated more than 90 percent of the US$39 billion in grants under the act, a landmark law enacted in 2022 designed to rebuild the domestic chip industry. However, the agency has only announced one binding agreement so far. The next two months would prove critical for more than 20 companies still in the process