Retail conglomerate Uni-President Enterprises Corp., an affiliate of Uni-President Group, yesterday reported consolidated profit of NT$5.74 billion for the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 25.7 percent.

Shares in Taiwan closed lower Monday amid sluggish trade, but market analysts said they remained optimistic about the local bourse's prospects as foreign capital continued to flow in.

The Development Bank of Singapore Limited (DBS, 星展銀行) yesterday said the tumbling Japanese yen will not significantly impact Taiwan's economy, while forecasting export oriented industries to recover in the latter half of the year from their current slump.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor makers should develop new niche products to fight against a declining market, a local research firm said recently.

Chinatrust Financial Holding Co. (CFHC, 中信金) yesterday announced its first-quarter results, recording revenues of NT$6.444 billion, yielding earnings per share (EPS) of NT$0.52.

British banking group Barclays PLC cut its quarterly growth forecast for second-quarter notebook computer shipments for the second time in a month Monday following disappointing results in April.

HTC Corp. will continue to enjoy robust demand for its new products on the back of its well-reviewed flagship phone, the new HTC One, according to U.S. brokerage Goldman Sachs.

The annual Computex Taipei, Asia's largest computer trade show, will highlight touch-panel devices with screen sizes ranging from 3.5 inches to 80 inches, according to the organizers.

CPC Corp., Taiwan is increasing domestic gasoline and diesel prices by NT$0.30 per liter beginning from midnight today, mainly because of climbing import costs for crude oil.

Taiwanese computer maker Acer Inc. plans to launch its first quad-core smartphone on May 14 to strengthen its product portfolio in the fast-growing market of low-cost handsets.