The TAIEX fell 1,195.97 points to 43,654.84 on Friday as a Wall Street rout over AI spending and $100 oil hit Taipei. Foreign investors sold a net NT$60.95 billion in cash equities, with UMC down 7.6% and MediaTek off 3.2%.
Taiwan’s benchmark closed barely changed Thursday after a whippy session that briefly reclaimed 45,000. All three institutional groups bought — foreign investors for a second day — even as the previous session’s futures book showed foreigners still heavily net short.
Every Taipei trading day ends with one release that sets the next morning’s narrative: the three institutional investors report. Here is what foreign investors, investment trusts, and dealers each represent, how to read net buy/sell streaks and per-stock T86 data, and how to cross-check cash flows against TAIFEX futures positioning before drawing conclusions.
The TAIEX rose 1.34% to 44,825.78 on Wednesday as foreign investors and investment trusts bought nearly NT$17B each — but TSMC sat out, and MediaTek, UMC and Hon Hai carried the tape.
The TAIEX surged 4.20% to 44,232.87 on Tuesday, clawing back part of Friday’s historic 6.47% rout. But the rebound was domestically funded: investment trusts bought NT$17.23B while foreign investors stayed net sellers at NT$-4.33B.
The TAIEX gave back an early bounce to close down 0.52% at 42,449.70 in the first session after Friday’s record plunge. TSMC rose on a $100B Arizona expansion, but UMC cratered 9.7%, foreigners kept selling, and investment trusts did the buying.
Taiwan’s benchmark fell 6.47% to 42,671 on Friday as an overnight 4.29% rout in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index swept through Taipei. TSMC dropped 7.29% despite a record Q2, UMC closed limit-down, and foreign investors had already sold NT$48.3 billion of cash equities heading into the session.
The TAIEX closed essentially unchanged at 45,624.98 on Thursday, absorbing a 2% overnight drop in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. Foreign investors sold a heavy NT$48.33B in cash equities while TSMC rose 1.23% ahead of its 14:00 earnings conference.
Taipei closed 0.55% higher on settlement Wednesday per our quote feed (see the data note on a conflicting wire print) as UMC surged nearly 10% and domestic institutions bought NT$21.6B, offsetting mild foreign selling — all with TSMC’s Q2 results due Thursday afternoon.
The TAIEX closed at 44,737.95 on Tuesday, down 1.42%, as renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and Monday’s 4.78% drop in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index hit Taipei. Foreign investors sold a net NT$51.89 billion, with TAIFEX settlement Wednesday and TSMC earnings Thursday.