Via Makes Bank in First Half of 2001

Normally, I stay away from financial news unless its some overview of an industry or some research firm's predictions for the future. This little bit of news is pretty interesting though, especially considering that the company involved is in a brouhaha (or tempest in a teacup, take your pick) with Intel over its P4X266 DDR SDRAM chipset for the P4. Via announced last week that its operating sales for the First Half of 2001 amounted to approximately NT$18 billion (about US$526 million)-a 43.6% increase compared to the same period last year. On a sequential basis, Net Income from January to June 2001 was NT$3.3 billion (about US$95.6 million)-an increase of 24.30% compared to 2000. Earnings per Share for the same period were NT$3.5, representing an increase of NT$24.11% compared to last year. Nice to know that someone doesn't have to run the water through the coffee grounds twice this year. Maybe that's what's making Via so cocky.