And the third shoe, ;0( Taiwan Semiconductor Expected to Post Lower Profit (Update2)
By Alan Patterson
quote.bloomberg.com
Hsinchu, Taiwan, April 25 (Bloomberg) -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's biggest maker of chips for other companies, may say first-quarter profit fell by more than a third on a slow sales rebound after a record industry slump.
The company said it would release its earnings after the close of trading today, sometime after 1:30 p.m., local time.
Profit probably declined to NT$5.5 billion ($158 million), or 34 NT cents a share, from NT$8.4 billion, or 71 NT cents, a year earlier, according to the average of estimates from five analysts interviewed by Bloomberg. Sales fell almost 10 percent to NT$35.8 billion, according to monthly figures from the company.
During the industry slump last year, Taiwan Semiconductor stayed profitable and took market share from rivals such as United Microelectronics Corp. Sales will grow at a slower pace as customers broaden their range of suppliers, investors said.
``United Microelectronics will outperform Taiwan Semiconductor in the second quarter,'' said Michael Ding, who counts shares in Taiwan Semiconductor among the $457 million he helps manage at International Investment Trust Ltd. |
