TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's benchmark stock index closed lower on Thursday as investors remained cautious following mixed performances on Wall Street overnight.
The Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Index (TAIEX) briefly moved back above the 46,000-point level in early trading, but gains faded as investors locked in profits. The index ended down 379.8 points, or 0.83%, at 45,354.61, according to Taiwan Index Plus and CTEE.
Turnover totaled NT$944.34 billion (US$29.4 billion), staying below the NT$1 trillion mark for a second straight session. For the week, the TAIEX fell 1,426.01 points, or 3.05%.
Taiwan's stock market will be closed on Friday after Taipei suspended work and classes due to Typhoon Bavi. Settlement and securities delivery originally scheduled for the day will be postponed, according to a Taiwan Stock Exchange press release.
The market showed weakness among heavyweight stocks, while selected technology sectors attracted buying interest. Among the market's largest index-weighted stocks, which have the greatest influence on the TAIEX, TSMC fell 2.03% to NT$2,415, according to Anue.
MediaTek declined 1.75% to NT$3,925, Delta Electronics eased 0.27% to NT$1,880, and Foxconn closed unchanged at NT$237.5. In contrast, semiconductor packaging and testing services provider ASE gained 8.32% to NT$677.
Silicon wafer makers continued to outperform the broader market. Industry leader GlobalWafers closed at its daily limit-up of NT$1,350, while Wafer Works rose 7.81% to NT$172.5.
Silicon wafers are the basic materials used to manufacture semiconductors and often reflect trends in chip demand. The sector has benefited from stronger demand for AI and high-performance computing applications, supporting wafer orders and factory utilization rates, according to CMoney and Stockfeel.
Investors turned to memory stocks ahead of Nanya Technology's earnings report, as domestic and foreign brokerages raised their price targets for the memory maker. Nanya closed at its daily limit at NT$435.5, helping boost the sector following recent weakness.
ESMT also reached limit-up. Winbond Electronics, Phison Electronics, and Macronix International each gained more than 3%.
Printed circuit board stocks also recovered after recent weakness triggered by concerns that manufacturing bottlenecks for PCBs used in Nvidia's Kyber NVL144 rack system could delay its launch. Nan Ya PCB closed limit-up, while Kinsus Interconnect Technology rose 5.3% and Zhen Ding Technology gained 4.07%, according to CTEE.
PCBs are the foundation of electronic devices, connecting and supporting key components such as chips. From small products like earphones to large systems such as servers, nearly all electronic equipment relies on PCBs to operate, according to Pocket Securities.
Passive component makers, which had recently underperformed, also recovered. Yageo led the sector before giving up some earlier gains to close 1% higher at NT$900, according to CTEE.
Holy Stone Enterprise returned above the NT$1,000 mark, rising 5.46% to NT$1,005. Lelon Electronics gained 7.12%, while Prosperity Dielectrics, Tai-Tech Advanced Electronics, and Kaimei Electronic each rose between 1% and 2%.
Panel makers attracted renewed buying interest, with trading volume among the highest across the TAIEX. Innolux, supported by foreign institutional buying in the previous session, edged up 0.15%, while AUO rose 6.43%.
Drone and aerospace-related stocks remained active. Evergreen Aviation Technologies reached an intraday record high of NT$256.5 before closing up 1.91%.
Magnate Technology ended 0.99% higher after earlier hitting limit-up. Chen Full International closed at its daily limit, while Getac Holdings and National Aerospace Fasteners also recorded gains.
Analysts said investors remain focused on AI servers, semiconductors, and smaller technology stocks. They noted that the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, which tracks major US semiconductor companies, has stabilized, while expectations for capital spending by major US technology companies have improved.
The TAIEX's near-term direction will depend on trading turnover recovery, continued foreign institutional buying, and whether gains in selected technology sectors can spread to the broader market. Heavyweight stocks are expected to remain a key influence on the index's direction.
This information is not intended as personalized financial advice. Investors are encouraged to conduct their own research and analysis before making investment decisions.
