TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's stock market experienced a volatile opening on Friday (March 21) as the index dipped to a morning low of 22,294.95, an 82.31-point drop. Despite the early decline, the market managed to hold steady near the annual line of 22,305 points. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電), a bellwether stock, also saw an early dip, falling NT$4 (around US$0.13) to settle at NT$981 (US$31.90), a 0.41% decline.
Financial experts attribute the fluctuations in Taiwan's stock market to a confluence of global political and economic factors, with U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy looming large. They predict that market uncertainty will likely persist until the tariffs take effect on April 2, after which the situation is expected to gradually clarify. Investors are closely watching developments in international trade and their potential impact on Taiwan's economy.
While other major electronics companies like MediaTek (聯發科) remained relatively stable, Hon Hai Precision Industry (鴻海) experienced fluctuations near its baseline. Local securities institutions observed a reduction in foreign investors' net short positions in Taiwan index futures, down to 33,100 contracts. This suggests a growing confidence in the Taiwan stock index, although analysts caution that uncertainties related to Trump's reciprocal tariff policies warrant continued attention.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's clarification on Wednesday that he had not been invited to invest in Intel helped to stabilize TSMC's stock price, halting its decline from the previous day. Taiwan's stock market rallied on Thursday, opening high and closing even higher at 22,377.26 points, a significant jump of 416.43 points. After 17 consecutive days of selling, foreign investors returned to the market with a net purchase of NT$21.83 billion (US$709.76 Million). While TSMC enjoyed renewed buying interest from foreign investors, Hon Hai continued to experience selling pressure.
