TSMC "forecast on Global Chip Sales to Increase 22% in 2010"

Top contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) said it expects global sales of semiconductors to rise 22 percent this year and 7 percent next amid a recovery from last year's slump.


The forecast was given by Chairman Morris Chang at a company technology symposium held in the U.S. on April 13. Details of the speech were given to reporters in Taipei in a teleconference with company spokesman J.H. Tzeng on Wednesday.

Chang said the growth outlook for the semiconductor market this year and next year was healthy, while annual growth would slow to 4.2 percent in 2011-2014, partly as other new key components such as touch-screen panels are used in electronics products.

His forecast for this year is largely in line with market expectations.

Global semiconductor revenue in 2010 is set to reach $279.7 billion, up 21.5 percent from 2009, according to research firm iSuppli Corp. Gartner forecast worldwide semiconductor revenue growth at 20 percent this year.

TSMC, which counts Texas Instruments [TXN 26.90 1.03 (+3.98%) ] and Nvidia [NVDA 17.88 0.22 (+1.25%) ] among its clients, reported unconsolidated sales of T$30.82 billion ($975 million) for last month, more than double a year earlier and up 5.6 percent from February.

TSMC and No.2 chip foundry United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) have said they would boost capital spending significantly this year to tap demand for new computers, cellphones and flat-screen TVs that require more powerful microchips.

But analysts say a wider customer base and early adoption of more advanced technology would help TSMC yield higher profit margins than UMC and other smaller rivals in coming months.

In a separate statement released by TSMC on Wednesday, the company said it would start using more advanced 20-nanometre process chip production technology in the second half of 2012.

Sales of microchips made by 65-nanometre technology, or 65 billionths of a meter, accounted for 30 percent of TSMC's total sales in the fourth quarter of 2009, while 9 percent of its sales came from advanced 40-nano technology in the same quarter.

The smaller circuitry allows for more powerful chip designs. Squeezing more circuits onto a single chip also increases chip yield per wafer, boosting

Source : Reuter

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Timber industry on the move next ?!

Last year export fell 15% to RM19.4 B
Major market - US, Japan
- US housing starts increased 21% YOY to 591000 units in Jan10 compare to 1 mil in Jan08
- Japan fell 8% YOY to 64000 units in Jan10
- Euro environmental lobbyists cause limit timber imports ..

Source . ..... Malaysian Timber council's woodmart 2010 n HLG

Preview of major counters.....

FY11 E PE
Lingui - 20 x
J tiasa - 18 x
TA Ann - 11 x
WTK - 10 x

Correction is over for KLSE ?

It seems the correction is over when the index touched MA 100 early Feb10. The index is heading upward after hitting oversold condition. Having say that, the uptrend will be disturbed on a bumpy road moving forward. Or it could resumes its down trend for another round depends on circumtances .. similar trend to 1998/99
Despite index moving downwards for a couple of weeks, some stocks out-perform the market. Stock like 3A, Mudajaya, Eforce lead in the lower liner ...

World's Biggest Oil Reserves

15. Mexico
Proved Oil Reserves: 11.65 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 3.19 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 2.79 million barrels
Consumption: 2.13 million barrels
Exports to US (2007): 1.54 million barrels

14. Qatar
Proved Oil Reserves: 15.2 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 1.2 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 940,000 barrels
Consumption: 120,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 2,000 barrels

13. China
Proved Oil Reserves: 16 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 3.97 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 3.79 million barrels
Consumption: 7.57 million barrels
Exports to US (2007): 13,000 barrels

12. United States
Proved Oil Reserves: 21.3 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 8.51 million barrels
Total Crude Production: 4.95 million barrels
Consumption: 19.48 million barrels

11. Kazakhstan
Proved Oil Reserves: 30 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 1.43 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 1.35 million barrels
Consumption: 239,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 19,000 barrels

10. Nigeria
Proved Oil Reserves: 36.2 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 2.168 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 2.165 million barrels
Consumption: 286,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 1.13 million barrels

9. Libya
Proved Oil Reserves: 41.5 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 1.88 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 1.74 million barrels
Consumption: 273,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 117,000 barrels

8. Russia
Proved Oil Reserves: 60 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 9.79 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 9.36 million barrels
Consumption: 2.9 million barrels
Exports to US (2007): 414,000 barrels

7. Venezuela
Proved Oil Reserves: 87.03 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 2.64 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 2.39 million barrels
Consumption: 760,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 1.36 million barrels

6. United Arab Emirates
Proved Oil Reserves: 97.8 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 3.05 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 2.68 million barrels
Consumption: 463,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 10,000 barrels

5. Kuwait
Proved Oil Reserves: 104 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 2.74 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 2.59 million barrels
Consumption: 325,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 181,000 barrels

4. Iraq
Proved Oil Reserves: 115 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 2.39 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 2.38 million barrels
Consumption: 638,000 barrels
Exports to US (2007): 484,000 barrels

3. Iran
Proved Oil Reserves: 138.4 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 4.17 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 4.05 million barrels
Consumption: 1.8 million barrels
Exports to US (2007): 0

2. Canada
Proved Oil Reserves: 178.59 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 3.350 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 2.59 million barrels
Consumption: 2.26 million barrels
Exports to US (2007): 2.45 million barrels

1. Saudi Arabia
Proved Oil Reserves: 266.7 billion barrels
Daily Numbers:
Total Oil Production: 10.7 million barrels
Crude Oil Production: 9.26 million barrels
Consumption: 2.29 million barrels
Exports to US (2007): 1.49 million barrels

(Source : CNBC)