The Taiwan stock market has experienced an upward trend for four consecutive sessions, accumulating an impressive gain of over 625 points, equivalent to a 2.8% increase. Currently, the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) finds itself positioned just above the 23,400-point mark, with potential for further gains anticipated on Friday.
The global economic outlook is optimistic, following the Federal Reserve's decision to reduce its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points. The European and U.S. markets have largely responded favorably to this development, and Asian markets are expected to continue in a similar direction.
On Thursday, the TSE recorded modest gains, driven by positive performances in financials, technology stocks, and plastics companies. Specifically, the index rose by 191.44 points, or 0.82%, closing the day at 23,408.82. During the session, it fluctuated between a low of 23,132.94 and a high of 23,518.63.
Key market performers included Cathay Financial, which edged up by 0.17%, and Mega Financial, which increased by 0.26%. Conversely, First Financial dropped by 0.37%. Other notable performances included Fubon Financial, up by 0.88%, and E Sun Financial, which rallied 1.29%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. gained 0.47%, while United Microelectronics Corp. saw a significant rise of 2.84%. Hon Hai Precision rose by 1.64%, although Largan Precision dipped by 0.21% and Catcher Technology declined by 2.22%. Delta Electronics and Novatek Microelectronics experienced slight decreases, dropping 0.99% and 0.10% respectively. On the other hand, Formosa Plastics soared by 3.28%, Nan Ya Plastics spiked 2.85%, Asia Cement improved 0.74%, while MediaTek and CTBC Financial remained unchanged.
Wall Street presented a positive lead, with major indices initially mixed on Thursday but ultimately closing mostly on the upside. Both the NASDAQ and S&P 500 reached new record closing highs. The Dow concluded flat, easing by a negligible 0.59 points to end at 43,729.34. Meanwhile, the NASDAQ surged by 285.99 points, or 1.51%, to close at 19,269.46, and the S&P 500 climbed 44.06 points, or 0.74%, to finish at 5,973.10.
The sustained strength in the U.S. markets stems from continued optimism regarding the expected positive effects of former President Donald Trump's potential return to the White House on corporate America. The announcement of the Federal Reserve's anticipated interest rate reduction also bolstered investor confidence.
In the commodities market, oil futures witnessed a notable rise on Thursday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil for December delivery increased by $0.67, or 0.93%, settling at $72.36 per barrel. This was amidst speculation about the geopolitical impact of Trump's presidency juxtaposed against the Fed's interest rate cut announcement.
On the domestic front, Taiwan is set to release its October data for imports, exports, and trade balance later today. In the preceding month of September, imports increased by 17.4% year-on-year, and exports saw a 4.5% annual rise, resulting in a trade surplus of $7.12 billion.