Taipei, Feb 28, 2026, 15:09 (GMT+8) — The market has closed.
Last week, Taiwan’s benchmark Taiex soared 5.38%, closing Thursday at a new record—35,414.49. Data from the Taiwan Stock Exchange showed market capitalisation for listed stocks hit NT$115.41 trillion.
Taiwan’s market is tightly linked to the global chip cycle, which is what makes this move significant. As money floods into artificial-intelligence hardware and its supply chain, trading in Taipei tends to act more like a high-beta proxy than anything strictly local.
But timing cuts both ways. Momentum rallies can lose their footing quickly, especially if tech sentiment abroad sours or trade policy news gets sharper — making the next open the first actual test after a break.
The Taiex finished Thursday almost unchanged, gaining just 1.42 points, as turnover soared to a record NT$1.14 trillion amid sector rotation. Cash flowed into select electronics and financials, but major tech names trailed. TSMC slipped 0.99% to NT$1,995, and Foxconn dropped 1.42% to NT$243. MediaTek managed a 4.01% jump, and Aspeed briefly crossed NT$10,000 before ending at NT$9,730. A number of TSMC supply-chain stocks reached their session’s limit-up, the day’s maximum allowed gain. “Pre-holiday profit-taking,” said Cathay Futures Consultant’s Tsai Ming-han. Wei Yung-hsiang, who manages the Taishin Growth Dominance Active ETF, warned of “short-term volatility” tied to possible U.S. tariffs, also noting margin financing balances had climbed above NT$360 billion. Taiwan News
The local market finished lower for the session. Trading at Taiwan’s futures exchange was closed Friday because of a make-up holiday for Peace Memorial Day, which shortened the week and set the next reopening for Monday.
A steeper global tech selloff could put immediate pressure on Taiwan’s big tech players. Shares of Nvidia dropped 4% on Thursday, even after posting solid results, pulling Broadcom and AMD down with it. Investors grew wary about AI’s return on investment. “The competitive picture is also shifting,” eMarketer analyst Jacob Bourne noted. Reuters
The focus shifts to Friday, March 6, with the U.S. set to publish its February jobs report—a release that often moves rate bets, and with them, sentiment in heavily priced tech and semiconductor names.
Taiwan’s setup heading into Monday is straightforward: does the rally stretch further after last week’s 5%-plus surge, or do we see a pullback? Eyes stay on tariff news, and there’s also the risk that the recent leverage-fueled buying could start to reverse.
