US-Iran Talks Show Glimmer of Hope, Taiwan Stocks and Weighted Shares Continue to Set New Records

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) The potential resumption of negotiations between the United States and Iran has brought a glimmer of hope to the Middle East situation, boosting the four major US stock indices. The Taiwan stock market surged by 768.04 points today, reaching an intraday historical high of 37064.16 points. After midday, the gains narrowed, closing at 36722.14 points, losing the 37000-point mark. Weighted stocks, including TSMC, Delta Electronics, ASE Technology Holding, and stock king ASPEED Technology, saw their share prices reach new highs today. The Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index closed at 36722.14 points, setting a new closing historical high, up 426.02 points, or 1.17%, with a turnover of NT$982.005 billion. The electronics index touched a new high of 2347.35 points during the session, and closed at 2321.71 points, also a new closing high, up 1.4%. The financial index saw a slight increase of 0.45%. The OTC index, representing small and medium-sized stocks, surged to a new high of 361.99 points during the session, and closed at 359.86 points, also a new closing high, up 1.08%. Stock king TSMC touched a new historical high of NT$2100 during the session, up NT$45, an increase of 2.19%. It closed up NT$25 at NT$2080, setting a new closing high, an increase of 1.22%, and its market capitalization also reached a new historical high of NT$53.94 trillion. Weighted stock Delta Electronics surged to a new high of NT$1835 during the session, closing up 2% at NT$1785, also a new closing high. Hon Hai closed flat at NT$207.5, and MediaTek closed at NT$1790, surging 4.07%. Semiconductor packaging and testing leader ASE Technology Holding surged to a new high of NT$460 during the session, closing at NT$446.5, up 5.31%, also a new closing high. Memory chip stocks fell against the trend, with Nanya Technology down 3.86%, Winbond Electronics turning negative down 3.53%, Macronix plunging 8.68% to NT$142, and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. down 2.56% to NT$53.2. High-priced stocks exceeding NT$1000 performed strongly, maintaining "41 thousand-dollar stocks." Stock king ASPEED Technology touched a new historical high of NT$14025 during midday, continuing to set a new record for individual stocks in Taiwan, closing at NT$13875, also a new closing high, surging 6.69%. Shen Chien-hung, fund manager of Taishin 2000 High-Tech Fund, stated that the turning point in the US-Iran conflict has led to continuous gains in the Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index, which again set a new historical high of 37064 points today. From a macroeconomic perspective, Shen Chien-hung pointed out that despite the variables of the Middle East conflict, the US 10-year Treasury yield and the New Taiwan dollar exchange rate remain stable, coupled with upward revisions in profit forecasts for US and Taiwan companies. The market expects promising profit growth for Taiwan companies, and the Taiwan stock market is still expected to perform positively in the first half of the year. Looking at the fundamentals, Shen Chien-hung noted that positive messages are expected from US and Taiwan corporate earnings reports and investor conferences in mid-to-late April, with strong corporate profit performance in the second and third quarters, and promising growth in the AI supply chain. Observing the Middle East situation, Shen Chien-hung believes that although the US-Iran conflict has not officially ended, US President Trump faces midterm election pressure and is expected to aim for a quick resolution to end the war as soon as possible. However, observing the capital side, Shen Chien-hung stated that margin financing balances have recently reached a high level of over NT$400 billion, and the capital side is becoming increasingly chaotic, requiring short-term attention to risks. (Editor: Chang Liang-chih) 1150415