Sales of TWSE-listed firms up over 7%, led by tech sector

Taipei, July 12 (CNA) The aggregate sales generated by companies listed on the local main board rose by more than 7 percent from a year earlier in June, led by the tech sector enjoying a boom in global artificial intelligence development, according to the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE).

Data compiled by the TWSE, which runs the main board, showed the combined revenue posted by the listed companies totaled NT$3.66 trillion (US$125 billion) in June, up 7.37 percent from a year earlier, with 519 firms reporting year-on-year sales growth and 526 suffering a decline.

Among the major industries, the TWSE said, the computer and peripheral equipment industry saw the highest year-on-year sales growth of about 45 percent, with revenue hitting NT$935.0 billion in June due to strong global demand for AI servers.

The environmental protection and renewable energy sector came in second, posting an almost 38 percent year-on-year increase in June, when its sales totaled NT$12.0 billion.

Meanwhile, the information service industry generated NT$11.0 billion in sales, up more than 29 percent from a year earlier, the TWSE added.

On the other hand, the financial and insurance industry recorded the steepest year-on-year revenue decline of about 45.5 percent in June after its sales hit NT$108.7 billion amid volatility in global financial markets, the TWSE said.

The trade and retail industry also suffered a 35 percent year-on-year decline in sales as it booked foreign exchange and investment losses in the month to push down revenue to NT$33.6 billion in June, while the cement industry faced weaker demand, posting NT$18 billion in sales, down almost 20 percent year-on-year, the TWSE added.

As for the first half of this year, the companies listed on the TWSE posted NT$21.94 trillion in sales, up 13.82 percent from a year earlier, with 619 firms reporting a revenue increase and 426 reporting a decline, the data showed.

Riding the wave of a booming AI market, the computer and peripheral equipment industry generated NT$4.88 trillion in sales in the six-month period, up 38.81 percent from a year earlier, the highest increase among the industries, the TWSE said.

Meanwhile, the combined revenue posted by companies listed on the local over-the-counter (OTC) market rose 7.72 percent from a year earlier to NT$250.2 billion in June, according to the Taipei Exchange (TPEx), which operates the OTC market.

The TPEx said the aggregate sales on the OTC market for the January-June period rose 9.67 percent from a year earlier to NT$1.45 trillion.