The TAIEX ended down 319.40 points, or 0.9 percent, at 35,095.09, after foreign institutional investors sold a net NT$38.99 billion in shares on the market, Taiwan Stock Exchange’s data showed. A woman looks at her smartphone in front of an electronic stock board at the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei yesterday. Oil prices surged as all eyes were on the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil trade flows as well as 20 percent of its liquefied natural gas. By contrast, among non-tech stocks, Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) benefited from higher oil prices, gaining 3.67 percent to end at NT$56.50. A prolonged spike in oil prices would risk reigniting inflationary pressures globally, while also acting as a tax on business and consumers that could dampen demand.

Source: Taipei Times March 02, 2026 17:11 UTC