TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's stock market staged a modest recovery on Friday (April 18) as major technology companies closed higher, pushing the benchmark index up 56.3 points to 19,395.03. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC, 台積電), the world's largest contract chipmaker, MediaTek (聯發科), a leading mobile chip designer, and Hon Hai (鴻海), also known globally as Foxconn, led the gains. TSMC shares rebounded to NT$850 (US$26.14), contributing approximately 24 points to the index's rise.
TSMC's projected annual revenue growth of 24% to 26% in dollar terms significantly bolstered investor confidence in Taiwan's semiconductor sector. MediaTek shares closed at NT$1,365 (US$41.97), rising NT$25, while Hon Hai finished at NT$135.5 (US$4.17), gaining a modest NT$1. Overall market turnover remained subdued at NT$196.329 billion (US$6.04 billion), failing to breach the NT$200 billion threshold. Despite Friday's positive performance, the Taiwan Stock Exchange still recorded a weekly decline of 133.74 points.
The memory chip sector experienced a notable surge as strengthening customer demand drove contract prices higher for the second quarter. Nanya Technology (南亞科), a major DRAM manufacturer, and Panram International Corporation (品安) both reached their daily price increase limits, closing at NT$35.3 (US$1.09) and NT$27.25 (US$0.84) respectively. Other memory-related stocks, including ESMT (晶豪科), Winbond Electronics (華邦電), and Apacer Technology (宇瞻), posted gains exceeding 3%, helping lift the broader electronic stock index by 0.39%.
Stocks in Taiwan's traditional industries showed mixed performance. Container shipping companies, including Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (陽明) and Wan Hai Lines (萬海), finished higher, driving the shipping sector index up by 1.32%. In contrast, engineering firm CTCI (中鼎) saw its shares plunge to the daily limit-down price of NT$31.6 (US$0.97), after revealing a substantial NT$19.604 billion (US$602.83 million) receivable problem involving its U.S. subsidiary's client, BKRF, whose parent company is GCEH. ★
