''Primarily due to quick orders from customers, especially from the mainland Chinese market, and a stronger U.S. dollar, TSMC now expects first-quarter revenue to be between NT$36 billion ($1.04 billion) and NT$38 billion ($1.09 billion), higher than the previous expectation of between NT$32 billion ($924.2 million) and NT$35 billion ($1.01 billion),'' said Lora Ho, vice president and chief financial officer of TSMC, in a statement.

Previously, TSMC expected a loss in Q1. It's unclear if the company has revised that forecast.

TSMC's expectation for first-quarter gross profit margin is now between 14-and-16 percent, and operating profit margin is between minus 2 percent and zero percent, compared with the previous guidance of 1-to-5 percent for gross profit margin and minus 19 percent to minus 15 percent for the operating profit margin.

TSMC also announced its net sales for February 2009 on an unconsolidated basis, sales were approximately NT$11.50 billion ($332.6 million), a decrease of 7.5 percent from January 2009 and a decrease of 59.5 percent from February 2008. Revenues for January through February 2009 totaled NT$23.94 billion ($691.2 million), a decrease of 59.2 percent compared to the same period in 2008.

TSMC said its sales hit NT$64.6 billion ($1.96 billion) in the fourth quarter of 2008, down 30.6 percent from the previous period and down 31.2 percent from a year ago.

Net income was NT$12.6 billion ($384 million) in the fourth quarter, down 59.3 percent from the previous period and down 63.9 percent in the like period a year ago.

Business is looking up to some degree. Singapore's Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Pte. Ltd. has revised its first quarter guidance upwards. Business also appears to be improving at United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC).

By: DocMemory
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