The Taiwan stock market turned lower again on Monday, one session after it had snapped the two-day losing streak in which it had fallen more than 140 points or 1.3 percent. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now rests just beneath the 10,890-point plateau and it's expected to open in the red again on Tuesday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is soft thanks to heightened concerns of a trade war and plummeting crude oil prices. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were sharply lower - and the Asian markets figure to follow the latter lead.
The TSE finished slightly lower on Monday following mixed performances from the financial shares and the technology stocks.
For the day, the index dipped 31.22 points or 0.29 percent to finish at 10,888.27 after trading between 10,882.05 and 10,969.88 on turnover of 101.94 billion Taiwan dollars.
Among the actives, Fubon Financial eased 0.20 percent, while Mega Financial collected 0.60 percent, Cathay Financial was unchanged, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company shed 0.40 percent, United Microelectronics Corporation fell 0.32 percent, Hon Hai Precision lost 0.45 percent, Innolux added 0.38 percent, Largan Precision plunged 4.93 percent, Catcher Technology gained 0.42 percent, China Steel picked up 0.21 percent and Taiwan Steel Union spiked 3.86 percent.
The lead from Wall Street is broadly negative as stocks moved sharply lower on Monday following the long holiday weekend as the NASDAQ and the S&P 500 hit their lowest closing levels in almost two months.
The Dow shed 458.92 points or 1.90 percent to 23,644.19, while the NASDAQ lost 193.33 points or 2.74 percent and the S&P 500 fell 58.99 points or 2.23 percent to 2,581.88.
The sell-off came after China announced it is imposing tariffs on 128 imported goods from the United States. The move by China was in response to President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
A notable decline by Amazon (AMZN) also weighed on the markets after Trump once again attacked the online retail giant on Twitter.
In economic news, the Institute for Supply Management said activity in the manufacturing sector grew more slowly than expected in March. The Commerce Department said construction spending rose less than expected in February.
Crude oil futures fell sharply Monday along with U.S. stocks, despite a weaker dollar as U.S. oil for May plunged 3 percent to $63.01/bbl.
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December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.