Taipei  - Taiwan t approved issuing shopping coupons Thursday in its latest move to boost the economy which has been hit by the global financial crisis.

Chen Tain-jy, minister of the cabinet's Council for Economic Planning and Development, said Taiwan will start issuing shopping coupons on January 18, one week before the start of the Chinese New Year holidays.

Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou has seen his approval rating nearly halved since his May 20 inauguration because of public anger over the island's deteriorating economy, a newspaper poll published Wednesday found.

The telephone poll of 1,029 adults by the United Daily News showed that satisfaction with Ma has dropped from 66 per cent on his inauguration day to its lowest level, 37 per cent, on Tuesday.

Taipei  - Taiwan stocks finished 3 per cent lower Tuesday as uncertainties over the island's and the global economy dampened investor sentiment, dealers said.

The benchmark Taiex index dropped 134.62 points, or 3.03 per cent, to close at 4,305.18.

Taiex opened sharply lower in reaction to Wall Street's overnight fall, caused by US banking giant Citigroup's announcement of massive lay-offs.

Taipei  - Taiwan said Tuesday it will issue purchase vouchers to boost spending and pull the retail sector out of recession.

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said that the government plans to allocate 82 billion Taiwan dollars (2.48 billion US dollars) to issue purchase vouchers to every citizen.

Each voucher is worth 3,600 Taiwan dollars (109 US dollars) and should be used within one year of its issuance. "We plan to issue it as soon as possible, maybe around the Chinese New Year holidays (February 2009)," he told a news conference.