Taiwan Futures Fall in Night Session After US Tech Stocks Retreat; Analysts Expect Increased Volatility for Taiwan Stocks
(CNA, Taipei, May 18, by reporter Chung Jung-feng) With the US-Iran conflict unresolved and international oil prices rising, the four major US stock indexes fell on the 15th, with tech stocks pulling back.
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- 📰 Published: May 18, 2026 at 09:23
- 🔍 Collected: May 18, 2026 at 09:31 (8 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 18, 2026 at 09:58 (27 min after Collected)
(CNA, Taipei, May 18, by reporter Chung Jung-feng) With the US-Iran conflict unresolved and international oil prices rising, the four major US stock indexes fell on the 15th, with tech stocks pulling back. TSMC's ADR dropped 3.2%, and Taiwan's stock index futures fell 487 points to close at 40,511 in the night session. TSMC's futures also fell 20 points to 2,235. On the 15th, the Taiwan stock index hit a new historical high of 42,408.66 points intra-day before experiencing a volatile swing of nearly 1,392 points, ultimately closing below the 5-day and 10-day short-term moving averages.
Looking ahead to this week's trend for Taiwan stocks, market analysts believe the market has entered a high-level consolidation period. The tug-of-war between profit-taking selling pressure and dip-buying support is expected to increase short-term volatility. The bellwether stock, TSMC, remains a key indicator. Foreign investors' net short positions in futures still exceed 50,000 contracts, and their buying and selling activities in the spot market will be closely watched. The Taiwan stock market is expected to have strong support around the 40,000-point level.
Regarding the international stock market outlook, analysts note that the market is highly focused on the earnings report from AI chip giant NVIDIA, scheduled for release on the 21st Taiwan time, to see their latest view on the AI industry's development. This week, the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will release its meeting minutes, which will influence the direction of interest rate policy. Additionally, the impact of inflation variables on US Treasury yields and US stocks must be closely monitored.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 537.29 points (1.07%) at 49,526.17 on the 15th. The S&P 500 index fell 92.74 points (1.24%) to 7,408.50.
The Nasdaq Composite dropped 410.08 points (1.54%) to 26,225.14, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index plunged 485.314 points (4.02%) to 11,588.465.
NVIDIA fell 4.42% to $225.32, TSMC's American Depositary Receipts (ADR) dropped 3.2% to $404.35, Micron fell 6.6%, AMD dropped 5.7%, and Intel fell nearly 6.2%.
On the 15th, the Taiwan stock index closed at 41,172.36, down 579.39 points (1.39%). For the week, the index fell 431.58 points, or about 1.04%. According to the Taiwan Stock Exchange, the latest total market capitalization of all listed companies was NT$134.298373 trillion, a decrease of NT$1.398816 trillion from the previous week.
In terms of net positions in Taiwan index futures, the three major institutional investors increased their net short positions by 1,161 contracts to 8,491 on the 15th. Among them, foreign investors reduced their net short positions by 105 contracts to 50,963. (Editor: Yang Kai-hsiang) 1050518
Looking ahead to this week's trend for Taiwan stocks, market analysts believe the market has entered a high-level consolidation period. The tug-of-war between profit-taking selling pressure and dip-buying support is expected to increase short-term volatility. The bellwether stock, TSMC, remains a key indicator. Foreign investors' net short positions in futures still exceed 50,000 contracts, and their buying and selling activities in the spot market will be closely watched. The Taiwan stock market is expected to have strong support around the 40,000-point level.
Regarding the international stock market outlook, analysts note that the market is highly focused on the earnings report from AI chip giant NVIDIA, scheduled for release on the 21st Taiwan time, to see their latest view on the AI industry's development. This week, the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will release its meeting minutes, which will influence the direction of interest rate policy. Additionally, the impact of inflation variables on US Treasury yields and US stocks must be closely monitored.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 537.29 points (1.07%) at 49,526.17 on the 15th. The S&P 500 index fell 92.74 points (1.24%) to 7,408.50.
The Nasdaq Composite dropped 410.08 points (1.54%) to 26,225.14, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index plunged 485.314 points (4.02%) to 11,588.465.
NVIDIA fell 4.42% to $225.32, TSMC's American Depositary Receipts (ADR) dropped 3.2% to $404.35, Micron fell 6.6%, AMD dropped 5.7%, and Intel fell nearly 6.2%.
On the 15th, the Taiwan stock index closed at 41,172.36, down 579.39 points (1.39%). For the week, the index fell 431.58 points, or about 1.04%. According to the Taiwan Stock Exchange, the latest total market capitalization of all listed companies was NT$134.298373 trillion, a decrease of NT$1.398816 trillion from the previous week.
In terms of net positions in Taiwan index futures, the three major institutional investors increased their net short positions by 1,161 contracts to 8,491 on the 15th. Among them, foreign investors reduced their net short positions by 105 contracts to 50,963. (Editor: Yang Kai-hsiang) 1050518