TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Investors witnessed a lackluster start for Taiwan's stock market on Thursday (Jan. 2), as it opened with a 59-point drop at 22,975 points. The index continued to fluctuate downward, slipping below the 23,000-point mark. TSMC (台積電) fell NT$5, settling temporarily at NT$1,070, contributing to the overall market's weak performance.
Electronic stocks displayed mixed results. UMC (聯電) remained flat at NT$43.05, while MediaTek (聯發科) rose NT$10 to reach NT$1,395. Hon Hai (鴻海) dipped NT$0.5 to NT$183.5, and MiTAC (神達) increased NT$1.7 to NT$72.7. Meanwhile, robotics concept stocks struggled, with Everfocus (慧友) declining 0.16%, Acepillar (羅昇) dropping 0.36%, and Ying Han Technologies (穎漢) falling 0.6%.
Across the Pacific, U.S. markets experienced a quiet session due to holiday profit-taking, resulting in all major indices closing lower. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq recorded their fourth consecutive day of losses. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield climbed to 4.641%, the highest since May 2. Despite the recent downturn, foreign media reported that the U.S. markets reached new highs in 2024, driven by the AI boom, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posting annual gains of 23% and 28.6%, respectively.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 29.51 points, or 0.07%, closing at 42,544.22. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 175.99 points, or 0.9%, to 19,310.79, while the S&P 500 lost 25.31 points, or 0.43%, ending at 5,881.63. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index decreased by 46.57 points, or 0.93%, to 4,979.93.
