Strong NT dollar weighs on PCB makers: analysts
By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporter
The New Taiwan dollar’s continued appreciation against the US dollar would drag on printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers’ earnings this quarter, analysts said, adding that high costs for raw materials and shipping driven by restocking demand would also affect their business.
However, PCB makers’ gross margins would be less strongly affected, as many firms in the sector plan to raise prices to reflect cost pressure, Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) said in a note last week.
“We estimate that if the NT dollar’s appreciation rises by one dollar against the greenback, PCB makers’ core earnings would drop 10 percent, while a 10 percent copper price hike would reduce their earnings by 5 percent,” Yuanta analysts led by Liu Szu-liang (劉思良) said in the note.