TAIPEI : Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC is expected to report a 27 per cent fall in second-quarter net profit on Thursday, as global economic woes dent demand for semiconductors, though analysts say business performance is likely to improve in the current quarter.
Analysts at Taiwan's Fubon Investment said they expected the second quarter to be the bottom of the current downcycle but that while the situation should improve in the third quarter, it would be weaker than normal given continued inventory build ups that are still being worked through. The second quarter is traditionally a slow period for sales for the tech industry with demand usually picking up in the third quarter and towards the year-end shopping season.