AU Optronics Q4 net loss worse than forecasts

TAIPEI Feb 8 (Reuters) - Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp , the world's No.4 LCD maker, posted a worse than expected loss in the fourth quarter, hurt by weak global demand, but said it saw a pick up in demand this year.

AU, which supplies major brands such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell Inc and Sony Corp , posted a net loss of T$20.98 billion ($710 million) for October-December.

Seven analysts had expected AU to post a net loss of a median T$15.3 billion, according to a consensus forecast by Reuters.

It reported a net loss of T$11.34 billion in the same period a year earlier and a net loss of T$15.80 billion in the previous quarter. The company said last year capital spending for 2012 would be less than T$40 billion, down from last year's T$60 billion.

Korean rival LG Display posted a sharply narrowed quarterly loss late last month, helped by solid demand from smartphones and tablet makers such as Apple Inc and as falling TV panel prices stabilised. ($1 = 29.5535 Taiwan dollars) (Reporting by Argin Chang; Editing by Jonathan Standing)