TSMC Turns Black at Close, Taiwan Stocks Hit New Highs but Pull Back Past 37000 Points

(CNA Reporter Wu Chia-hao, Taipei, April 20) Taiwan stocks today saw funds concentrated in AI heat dissipation, server supply chains, and semiconductor sectors with price hike themes. The market reached a new high of 37344.50 points intraday, while traditional sectors performed relatively weakly. At the close, TSMC experienced sell-offs of 5265 shares, turning negative. The index closed at 36958.80 points, up 154.46 points or 0.42%, with a trading value of NT$919.977 billion.

The electronic index closed up 0.6% today, and the semiconductor index rose 0.09%. Among traditional sectors, the plastics index fell 1.69%, cement index down 1.48%, shipping index down 0.92%, and steel index down 0.89%. The over-the-counter index, representing small and mid-cap stocks, rose 3% to a new high of 383.5 points.

Blue-chip electronic stock TSMC closed at NT$2025, down NT$5. Delta Electronics reached a historical intraday high of NT$1980, closing at NT$1900, up 3.26%. Hon Hai closed at NT$207.5, up 0.73%.

The actively managed ETF, Cathay Taiwan Growth ETF, surged with heavy volume intraday to NT$26.58, a new high since its listing, closing at NT$25.98, up 3.51%, with a trading volume of over 650,000 shares, making it the top-traded ETF in Taiwan.

Wafer fabrication plant UMC, encouraged by price hike themes, touched NT$80.2 intraday, nearing the daily limit, and closed at NT$76.9, up 5.34%, with a trading volume exceeding 340,000 shares.

High-priced stocks above NT$1000 maintained the "45 Thousand Gold" group. Stock king Shin-Etsu (信驊) rose 4.49% to close at NT$14425. Jian-Che (健策), Chuangyi (創意), Lian Ya (聯亞), and Guang Sheng (光聖) all hit the daily limit, closing at NT$5020, NT$3580, NT$2860, and NT$2370, respectively.

Cathay Securities Futures Consulting Assistant Manager Tsai Ming-han told CNA that the Middle East conflict previously acted like a "lid" suppressing Taiwan's fundamental stock market momentum. As the US and Iran enter negotiation processes, the market believes the worst has passed.

Tsai pointed out that the core driver of Taiwan's recent new highs comes from strong fundamentals. Although the first quarter is traditionally a slow season for the industry, TSMC and overall listed companies reported record high revenues in March. Currently, Taiwan's stock market maintains a healthy sector rotation structure with no systemic risks, and the market index has the potential for further upward breakthroughs. (Editor: Chang Liang-chih) 1150420