Taiwan stocks dip on profit taking; Nanya Tech surges

* Property and financial shares pare gains

* Nanya gains on positive October sales and upbeat Q4

* Turnover thin as investors await U.S. jobs data

TAIPEI, Nov 5 - Taiwan stocks ended down 0.66 percent on Thursday as investors locked in recent gains in financial and property shares, but DRAM maker Nanya Tech surged on better sales prospects for the fourth quarter

The main TAIEX share index finished 49.58 points lower at 7,417.46, after logging its best daily percentage rise in one month in Wednesday's session.

Turnover was thin at T$87 billion , compared with Wednesday's T$98 billion, as the market struggled to find a clear direction.

"Investors were keen to take profits in financial and property shares after their latest gains and due to the absence of fresh stimulus," said John Chiu, a vice president at Fuh Hwa Securities Investment Trust.

Construction shares and financial shares were among the session's top losers, falling 1.83 percent and 1.41 percent, respectively.

Analysts said market movements were slow as investors awaited the latest employment data in the United States for further guidance on macroeconomic conditions.

"The data is expected to turn out better than in September and could have positive effect on global stock markets," added Fuh Hwa's Chiu.

Bucking the trend, Nanya Tech, the island's second largest DRAM maker, surged 5.49 percent on strong October sales and positive fourth-quarter forecasts.

"Shares of DRAM makers were buoyed by rising chip prices, and sector leaders are very optimistic about the fourth quarter as sales of personal computers and mobile phones are expected to pick up," Chiu said.

Smartphone maker HTC Corp, the most-active stock by turnover, advanced 1.04 percent.

A local newspaper quoted HTC's CEO as saying he expected shipments and sales in the fourth quarter to be better than the third quarter after launching new models.

Technology companies that support hardware for the budding cloud computing market such as Inventec also rose as they could become top choices for investment, a local newspaper reported.

Inventec jumped 3.04 percent and electronics parts giant Hon Hai advanced 1.15 percent.

On Wednesday, Microsoft Corp and Taiwan's economic ministry said they plan to set up a cloud research centre on the island by next year, which could also benefit contract laptop PC maker Quanta. ---------------------TAIEX IN PERSPECTIVE-----------------

Move on day -0.66 pct

Close on day 7,417.46

2009 intraday high 7,811.92

2009 intraday low 4,164.19

All-time high 12,682.41 12 FEB 1990 ---------------------------------------------------------- For a table of foreign trading in Taiwan stocks, double-click on