Taiex Hits Historic High on First Day of Trading in 2026

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan’s Taiex kicked off the first trading day of 2026 by closing up 1.3%, continuing a historic rally that has seen the index rise 25% over the past year. The gains remain heavily concentrated in the semiconductor sector, with TSMC alone accounting for over 60% of the market's growth. While traditional industries like textiles and raw materials face a downturn, Economy minister Kung Ming-hsin remains optimistic, suggesting that 2026 GDP growth could exceed current forecasts.

Transcript

00:00Taiwan's main stock index is seeing a historic rally.

00:04The Tayex closed up about 1.3% on Friday, the first day of trading this year,

00:09following its record high closing on New Year's Eve.

00:11That puts it more than 25% higher than the same day last year.

00:16The gains are heavily concentrated in chipmakers and AI hardware suppliers,

00:20especially in one company, chip giant TSMC.

00:23Their stock is up more than 44% from last year,

00:26accounting for more than 64% of all the gains in the Tayex.

00:30And despite concerns about a global tech bubble,

00:33some experts say the momentum shows a little sign of stopping.

00:36But that success isn't shared across the board.

00:58While tech is booming,

00:59traditional industries like textile and raw materials are seeing declines.

01:03Still, it caps off a historic year for Taiwan's economy.

01:06Despite severe market volatility due to U.S. tariffs,

01:10Taiwan has outperformed expectations,

01:12with GDP growth estimates for 2025 now hovering around 7%.

01:16While many forecasts predict about half that level of growth for 2026,

01:21officials are more bullish.

01:22Looking at today's stock performance, investors seem to be cautiously optimistic.

01:44Now, there are still a few unknowns going into 2026,

01:47especially how U.S. tariffs and a U.S.-Taiwan trade deal might play out.

01:51But Taiwan's growth seems poised to continue,

01:54if a bit slower, and still concentrated in a single sector.

01:58Patrick Chun and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.

01:59A broomstick for Taiwan Plus.

02:13And now,

02:17I hope you have a little bit more questions.

02:17I hope you're not going into that one thing.

02:19There's a lot of information that you will have in the next two years.

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