NEW YORK, January 7, 2026, 11:07 EST — Regular session
- UMC shares hit $9.11, a 52-week high, and were last up about 9.7%
- December sales rose 1.66% from a year earlier; full-year 2025 sales rose 2.26%
- Investors are now focused on late-January results and what UMC says about 2026 demand
United Microelectronics’ U.S.-listed shares surged on Wednesday, pushing the Taiwan chipmaker to a fresh 52-week high and putting the stock among the session’s top semiconductor gainers. UMC was up about 9.7% at $8.91 in late morning trade.
The move matters because UMC’s monthly sales are one of the first hard reads on foundry demand going into 2026, when investors are trying to pin down whether the industry has truly worked through excess inventory. Chip stocks have also caught a bid this week after upbeat signals elsewhere in the sector, including Microchip Technology’s forecast raise and comments on stronger bookings and backlog.
UMC said earlier on Wednesday that its unaudited consolidated net sales for December 2025 were NT$19.28 billion ($612 million), up 1.66% from a year earlier. It said full-year 2025 sales rose 2.26% to NT$237.55 billion.
The stock traded between $8.83 and $9.11 on the day, with the high also marking the top of its 52-week range. UMC’s American depositary shares, or ADS — certificates that trade in the U.S. and represent shares in a foreign company — closed at $8.12 on Tuesday.
UMC is a contract chipmaker, or foundry, that manufactures chips for other companies, and it competes for orders against larger rivals including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and China’s SMIC. Morningstar estimates UMC held about 5% of global foundry market share in 2024.
But the monthly numbers can be a rough guide. The December growth rate was modest, and the report offers no direct read on pricing, utilization, or margins — the items that can swing profit for foundries when demand shifts.
Investors’ next checkpoint is UMC’s quarterly report, which Nasdaq data shows is expected on Jan. 28 before the U.S. market open. Traders will be listening for any change in guidance on 2026 demand, capex and how quickly customers are normalizing orders.
