The U.S. dollar rose against the New Taiwan dollar Friday, gaining NT$0.01 to close at NT$30.060 as the local central bank entered the trading floor again to prop up the greenback and help the currency reverse its early gains, dealers said.

Shares in Taiwan closed higher on expanded turnover yesterday as investors had high hopes that the government will revise the capital gains tax on stock investments by exempting retailer investors from the levy, dealers said.

Shares for Vanguard International Semiconductor Co. (世界先進) and Mediatek (聯發科) got a boost yesterday after positive adjustments were made to both stocks in the Taiwan index of the MSCI Global Standard Indices (MSCI Taiwan), dealers said.

MSCI Inc., a global index provider, has cut Taiwan's weighting in its Asia-Pacific index (excluding Japan) and in its emerging markets index after a semi-annual index review.

Taiwan's Asustek Computer Inc. lost its ranking among the top five PC makers in Western Europe in the first quarter because of weak buying, research company Gartner Inc. said.

The Tourism Bureau announced yesterday that all domestic travel agencies are banned from taking any tour groups to the Philippines after the Executive Yuan recently announced a “red” travel alert against the Philippines, one of eight second-stage sanctions issued against the Philippines over the shooting of a local fisherman in disputed waters.

In another push to elevate its international presence, Kaohsiung is hosting the biennial Asia-Pacific Cities Summit (APCS, 亞太城市高峰會), the second major event since the 2009 International World Games to come to town.

President Ma Ying-jeou praised the potential of the Taiwanese-European economy and encouraged Taiwan to pursue a steady trade relationship with European countries during the Europe Day Dinner held by the European Chamber of Commerce yesterday.

HTC yesterday announced its official partnership with Cirque de Soleil's “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” in Taipei with many special offers for Taiwan's audiences to promote the show that recreates the classic performances of the King of Pop.

The number of workers on furlough in Taiwan has dropped by 25 percent to 1,177 in the past two weeks, according to statistics released by the Council of Labor Affairs yesterday.