Middle East War Risks Diminishing, Stocks and Currencies Rise, New Taiwan Dollar Closes at 31.531
As Middle East war risks diminish, driving down risk aversion, the New Taiwan Dollar strengthened against the US dollar, closing at a new high in over a month. The Taiwan stock market also saw gains, indicating reduced concern over geopolitical risks and a shift in capital towards riskier assets.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 20, 2026 at 19:11
- 🔍 Collected: April 20, 2026 at 20:01 (50 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 20:36 (34 min after Collected)
The Middle East situation remains unclear, but risk aversion is gradually fading. The New Taiwan Dollar continued its rebound momentum today, surging over one jiao (10 cents) intraday to reach the 31.4 level. It closed at 31.531 NTD, appreciating by 6.5 cents, marking a new high in over a month. The total transaction volume in the Taipei and spot forex markets decreased to 1.6745 billion US dollars.
Over the weekend, there were reports that Iran would "fully open" the Strait of Hormuz, which boosted international stock markets. Subsequently, the Iranian military announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again, causing the market to return to a wait-and-see stance, adding variables to US-Iran negotiations.
Despite the fluctuating Middle East conflict, the negative impact is gradually diminishing. Taiwan's stock market today reached a new high of 37344.50 points intraday. However, TSMC turned negative in late trading, and the index pulled back after hitting a new high, closing at 36958.80 points, up 154.46 points, with the 37000-point mark lost again.
The New Taiwan Dollar opened at 31.55 against the US dollar today. With the strong upward trend of the Taiwan stock market and the inflow of hot money, the exchange rate broke through the 31.5 yuan mark, reaching a high of 31.474 yuan, a surge of over one jiao. However, demand for US dollars from importers emerged as they bought on dips, causing the exchange rate to fluctuate in the range of 31.480 to 31.500. The appreciation narrowed at the end of trading, closing at 31.531 yuan, still a new high since March 3rd.
Forex traders stated that although the Middle East situation has not fully concluded, the negative impact is gradually diminishing. Investors interpret the war as nearing its end, and risk aversion has significantly cooled. The US dollar index once fell to the 97 level, and non-US currencies followed suit with a rebound.
Since April, the New Taiwan Dollar has broken through 4 jiao (40 cents) and has been consolidating around the 31.5 yuan level recently. Forex traders frankly admitted that in addition to foreign capital inflows, exporters, feeling that "it has really risen too much lately," dare not wait any longer and have rushed to sell USD. Importers are also actively buying USD. After all, 31.5 yuan is an important psychological barrier. Amidst the tug-of-war between buyers and sellers, it is speculated that the New Taiwan Dollar may temporarily consolidate around 31.5 yuan. The subsequent trend will depend on whether the Taiwan stock market continues to climb, attracting hot money inflows and further pushing up the exchange rate. (Editor: Yang Lanxuan) 1150420
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Over the weekend, there were reports that Iran would "fully open" the Strait of Hormuz, which boosted international stock markets. Subsequently, the Iranian military announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again, causing the market to return to a wait-and-see stance, adding variables to US-Iran negotiations.
Despite the fluctuating Middle East conflict, the negative impact is gradually diminishing. Taiwan's stock market today reached a new high of 37344.50 points intraday. However, TSMC turned negative in late trading, and the index pulled back after hitting a new high, closing at 36958.80 points, up 154.46 points, with the 37000-point mark lost again.
The New Taiwan Dollar opened at 31.55 against the US dollar today. With the strong upward trend of the Taiwan stock market and the inflow of hot money, the exchange rate broke through the 31.5 yuan mark, reaching a high of 31.474 yuan, a surge of over one jiao. However, demand for US dollars from importers emerged as they bought on dips, causing the exchange rate to fluctuate in the range of 31.480 to 31.500. The appreciation narrowed at the end of trading, closing at 31.531 yuan, still a new high since March 3rd.
Forex traders stated that although the Middle East situation has not fully concluded, the negative impact is gradually diminishing. Investors interpret the war as nearing its end, and risk aversion has significantly cooled. The US dollar index once fell to the 97 level, and non-US currencies followed suit with a rebound.
Since April, the New Taiwan Dollar has broken through 4 jiao (40 cents) and has been consolidating around the 31.5 yuan level recently. Forex traders frankly admitted that in addition to foreign capital inflows, exporters, feeling that "it has really risen too much lately," dare not wait any longer and have rushed to sell USD. Importers are also actively buying USD. After all, 31.5 yuan is an important psychological barrier. Amidst the tug-of-war between buyers and sellers, it is speculated that the New Taiwan Dollar may temporarily consolidate around 31.5 yuan. The subsequent trend will depend on whether the Taiwan stock market continues to climb, attracting hot money inflows and further pushing up the exchange rate. (Editor: Yang Lanxuan) 1150420
Stand with the facts, your every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
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Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, or transmitted or used without authorization.