Taiwan stocks - Factors to watch - July 3

(Adds local press reports)

TAIPEI, July 3 (Reuters) - Here are news stories and press
reports that may affect the Taiwan stock market on Thursday.

Stocks could open lower, extending a skid that has seen them
tumble to a 16-month low, after a Wall Street sell-off that saw
the Dow Jones .DJI officially enter a bear market.

REUTERS HEADLINES
> Taiwan GDP growth to ease in 2008 as inflation clim[nTP321781]
> Taiwan's top LCD makers may cut production - paper [nTP339597]
> Culture shock looms as Taiwan braces for Chinese to[nTP294600]
> Taiwan financials hit 5-mth low on profit concern [nTP14822]
> Taiwan corporate results in June [nTP226989]
> Taiwan stocks fall to 16-mth low; financial shares [nTP341896]
> Taiwan dollar falls as investors await econ signals[nTP345641]
> Foreign trading in Taiwan stocks [nTP170358]
> US stocks-Dow enters bear market amid broad sell-o[nN02435462]

LOCAL PRESS REPORTS

-- Formosa Plastics (1301.TW: Quote, Profile, Research) is taking a number of
energy-saving steps that it hopes will cut its energy costs by 3
percent, the Economic Daily reported.

-- China Motor Corp (2204.TW: Quote, Profile, Research) has rolled out a voluntary
retirement program to reduce costs, amid frigid auto sales as gas
prices soar, the Economic Daily reported.

-- The cabinet will raise the percentage of assets that funds
can invest in mainland Chinese stocks to 10 percent from the
current 0.4 percent, the Commercial Times reported.
----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 2341 GMT ------------

INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG
S&P 500 .SPX 1261.52 -1.82% -23.390
USD/JPY JPY= 105.96 0.11% 0.120
10-YR US TSY YLD US10YT=RR 3.9691 -- 0.010
SPOT GOLD XAU= 943.1 -0.13% -1.250
US CRUDE CLc1 144.06 0.34% 0.490
DOW JONES .DJI 11215.51 -1.46% -166.75
ASIA ADRS 144.65 -2.60% -3.86
-------------------------------------------------------------

OTHER INDEXES/TAIWAN ADRS

LAST % CHANGE

Phil. semicon index -2.19

Adv Semicon Eng (ASE) (ASX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) -3.74

AU Optronics (AUO.N: Quote, Profile, Research) -0.19

Chunghwa Telecom (CHT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) -1.09

Siliconware (SPIL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) -0.57

TSMC (TSM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) -2.84

UMC (UMC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) -1.05

For a table of foreign trading in Taiwan stocks, double-click
on [ID:nTP16023]

For a diary of forthcoming events see [TW/DIARY]

For a diary of economic indicators see [TW/ECI\]