For the month of April, total exports contracted 1.9 percent year-on-year to US$25.05 billion and total imports fell 8.2 percent from 2012 to US$ 22.77 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) yesterday.

The U.S. dollar fell against the Taiwan dollar Tuesday, shedding NT$0.036 to close at NT$29.590 after the local central bank continued to buy into the greenback and offset earlier losses caused by further inflows of overseas funds, dealers said.

The National Research Program of Biopharmaceuticals (NRPB) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding, marking the beginning of a five-year partnership to promote and develop Taiwan as the premier biotech and pharmaceutical hub in Asia Pacific.

Shares of MediaTek Inc., one of Taiwan's leading integrated circuit designers, moved lower Tuesday morning, even after the company projected consolidated sales would rise about 30 percent in the current quarter from a quarter earlier, dealers said.

Shares in Taiwan closed little changed Tuesday after moving in a narrow range as stiff technical resistance ahead of 8,200 points kept the bourse in the doldrums, dealers said.

Cisco Systems, the leading provider of networking equipment and solutions, yesterday showcased the latest developments in Internet communication applications by the company's local and international partners, and in the process heralded the arrival of the next step in the information age — one which holds the promise of potential revenues exceeding US$14 trillion for the world.

Sales of mobile personal computers will grow sharply during the next five years, as tablets begin to replace notebook PCs this year as the device of choice and touch becomes a key feature, NPD DisplaySearch predicted in a report on Monday.

The labor insurance, labor pension, and public service pension funds posted profits totaling NT$64.4 billion amid international economic uncertainties in the first quarter.

Netbook pioneer Asustek Computer Inc. said Monday it is planning a new version of its Windows-based Transformer Book laptops to carve out a new share of the smaller and inexpensive computer category.

Taiwan's HTC Corp. remained the third-largest smartphone vendor in the United States in the first quarter, but fell further behind its two biggest rivals Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., according to an online data tracking service.