Eye On Taiwan

Our Investor Personality Study reveals how investors cope differently in a market crisis Posted: 02 Apr 2020 12:02 PM PDT Survey of emerging affluent, affluent, and high-net-worth investors unveils top personality traits that impact investment decisions WebWire Date: April 2, 2020 .In times of market turbulence, such as the current market swings caused by COVID-19, investors and their wealth advisors need to make challenging decisions and/or avoid bad ones. Standard Chartered’s new Investor Personality Study reveals the individual personality traits that have a major impact on the way investors react when faced with difficult investment decisions. Understanding these traits can help investors and their wealth advisors recognise and overcome the natural biases that can compromise their ability to make objective decisions about their portfolios, and to drive better investment outcomes. The report surveyed 1,200 emerging affluent, affluent and high-net-worth (HNW) investors across Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. It revealed nine personality traits that best describe each investor’s financial personality: Risk tolerance; Speculation; Composure; Confidence; Financial Comfort; Desire for Guidance; Impulsivity; Desire for Legacy; and Internal Locus of Control. [FULL  STORY]

New Taiwan rules detailed for quarantine of deep-sea fishing boat crews Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:58 AM PDT Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/02 By:  Central News Agency Taiwan is introducing new coronavirus rules for fishing crews  (CNA photo) Crews on deep-sea fishing boats that have anchored in other countries or engaged in improper interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic will be subject to 14-day quarantine on their vessel when they return to Taiwan, effective immediately, according to a government official. Crew members on deep-sea fishing ships and near-sea tuna fishing boats operating in waters between Taiwan and Japan, mostly migrant fishermen, will be covered by the new rule as part of government efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Fisheries Agency (FA) Director-General Chang Chih-sheng (張致盛) told CNA Wednesday. Deep-sea fishing vessels are targeted because they spend more time operating in oceans far from Taiwan, while tuna fishing boats have been included because a large number of Taiwanese ships are engaged in the trade at a time when tuna fishing peak season is approaching. Vessels that belong to these two categories that did not visit ports in other countries, did not interact with other ships or ship catch for other fishing vessels, those that did not change their crew and were not inspected by foreign officials in the 30 days before their return to Taiwan are excluded from the quarantine measure, Chang said.    [FULL  STORY]

Cabinet proposes NT$150 billion COVID-19 aid package for workers Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:54 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/02/2020 By: Wu Chia-jong and Matthew Mazzetta Taipei, April 2 (CNA) The Cabinet on Thursday put forth a plan to allocate NT$150 billion (US$5 billion) in aid to workers in Taiwan affected by the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the country's labor market. According to Minister without Portfolio Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫), the proposed special budget of NT$150 billion will be used to prevent mass unemployment in industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the plan, the government will pay subsidies to 1.92 million employees in industries reeling under the economic impact of the coronavirus, Kung said, adding that the number represents 16.67 percent of Taiwan's workforce. Over a three-month period, the 1.92 million workers will receive 40 percent of their regular salary, he said at a press conference after the Cabinet met to draft the aid package.    [FULL  STORY]

Commercial property deals retreat 60% Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:42 AM PDT HOLDING OUT: Sellers struggling to stay afloat and buyers waiting for price corrections remain on the sidelines to see how the COVID-19 crisis turns out for the property market Taipei Times Date: Apr 03, 2020 By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter Commercial property transactions last quarter totaled NT$12.9 billion (US$425.63 million), declining 60 percent from the same period last year, as buyers turned conservative amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest data released by property brokers showed. Industrial properties accounted for 80 percent of transactions, followed by offices at NT$1.34 billion, Colliers International Taiwan (高力國際) said in a quarterly survey yesterday. However, Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan (戴德梁行) data showed that overall deals totaled NT$9.51 billion, representing a 61 percent retreat. “The market might see a panic sell-off if the outbreak persists beyond this quarter,” Cushman & Wakefield Taiwan general manager Billy Yen (顏炳立) told an online news briefing last week. [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to donate 5.6 million surgical masks to the EU Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:36 AM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 02 April, 2020 By: John Van Trieste The Netherlands Trade & Investment Office in Taipei responded to a donation of masks from Taiwan with this message on its Facebook page. (Photo Courtesy: Netherlands Trade & Investment Office in Taipei) The Netherlands Trade & Investment Office in Taipei responded to a donation of masks from Taiwan with this message on its Facebook page. (Photo Courtesy: Netherlands Trade & Investment Office in Taipei) Taiwan is set to donate 5.6 million surgical masks to the EU and its member states. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent out a tweet Wednesday thanking Taiwan for the donation. The foreign ministry says that Taiwan and the EU are partners that share the same values. The ministry says that the EU has always supported Taiwan’s participation in the WHO, and that Taiwan stands ready to help now that the EU is faced with such a serious outbreak.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan must find ways to enhance Indigenous representation Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:30 AM PDT The Conversation Date: April 2, 2020 By: Cassandra Preece PhD Student, Political Science, McMaster University Members of the Indigenous Amis tribe in traditional costumes participate in the yearly harvest festival in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in September 2018. (Shutterstock) President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secured a majority government win following January’s Taiwanese elections. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to reflect on the quality of democracy in Taiwan. While international media coverage has been blinded by China’s rising authoritarianism and Taiwan’s fight against it, there’s been little attention paid to Taiwanese domestic issues like economic development, clean energy and human rights. And what about Indigenous representation? What did the election mean for Taiwan’s Indigenous communities? Although Taiwan guarantees a number of seats to Indigenous representatives, the current system is flawed.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan and Czech Republic ink deal on coronavirus collaboration Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:16 AM PDT Czechia the first European country to partner with Taiwan on medical and technological research Taiwan News Date: 2020/04/02 By:  Taiwan News, Staff Writer Flags of the Czech Republic and Taiwan. (CNA photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has teamed up with Czechia in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19), which has infected nearly one million people worldwide and killed over 47,000 as of Thursday (April 2). “To further strengthen consultation and cooperation on combatting the COVID-19 virus, both offices will seek to mediate and share best practices and cooperation,” stated a joint statement released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday (April 1). The statement was signed by Taiwan’s representative to the central European nation, Ke Liang-ruey (柯良叡), and the representative of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, Patrick Rumlar. The Czech Republic is the first European country to reach a cooperative agreement with Taiwan on the epidemic. According to the joint statement, the collaboration will include the developments of test kits, vaccines, and medication in addition to research into health technology and information sharing for both countries’ virus response. The central European nation has had a close relationship with Taiwan in the field of technology, according to Taiwanese authorities. Last month, James Liao (廖俊智), the president of Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s foremost research institute, held a video conference with his Czech counterpart Eva Zazimalova, from the Czech Academy of Sciences, to discuss possible collaborations on coronavirus-related research.    [FULL  STORY]

FAT chairman held incommunicado, bail revoked Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:12 AM PDT Focus Taiwan Date: 04/02/2020 By: Liu Hsih-yi and Ko Lin FAT chairman Chang Kang-wei (second from right) Taipei, April 2 (CNA) The Taipei District Court ordered Thursday that Chang Kang-wei (張綱維), chairman of Far Eastern Air Transport Corp. (FAT), be detained and held incommunicado on charges of fraud and embezzlement. The Taipei District Court approved Chang's incommunicado detention two days after prosecutors appealed its decision to release him on bail after a preliminary hearing of the case. According to prosecutors, Chang was charged in connection with false property declarations, fraud and embezzlement. He has been under investigation since FAT abruptly canceled all its flights last December and laid off nearly 1,000 employees, citing financial problems.    [FULL  STORY]

Virus Outbreak: Taiwanese businesspeople in Philippines give masks Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:08 AM PDT Taipei Times Date: Date: Apr 03, 2020 By: Staff writer, with CNA Two Taiwanese groups in the Philippines have donated urgently needed masks to local healthcare efforts in a bid to help contain COVID-19. The Taiwanese Compatriot Association on Wednesday gave more than 5,000 masks to the Philippines Department of Health, association supervisor Edison Lin (林坤城) said. The association has pledged to donate 10,000 masks to the Philippines, Lin said, adding that because of supply issues, the donation would be divided into two batches. The masks would help the Philippines battle the coronavirus, as well as promote goodwill between Taiwanese and Filipinos, Lin added.    [FULL  STORY]

Research institute develops reagent for rapid COVID-19 test Posted: 02 Apr 2020 11:04 AM PDT Radio Taiwan International Date: 02 April, 2020 By: John Van Trieste Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes has developed a reagent that can be used to make rapid tests for COVID-19. (CNA file photo) Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes has developed a reagent that can be used to make rapid tests for COVID-19. (CNA file photo) Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes has developed a reagent that can be used to make rapid tests for COVID-19. The work follows up on earlier research the institute conducted on SARS in collaboration with the National Defense Medical Center.    [FULL  STORY]