The Taiwan stock market has finished higher in four straight sessions, collecting almost 120 points or 1.1 percent in that span. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now rests just above the 10,800-point plateau and it may see continued if mild support again on Thursday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is slightly soft with concerns over interest rates offset by support from crude oil. The European and U.S. markets were mixed to lower and the Asian bourses figure to follow suit.
The TSE finished slightly higher on Wednesday following mixed performances from the financials, cement stocks and technology shares.
For the day, the index collected 12.00 points or 0.11 percent to finish at 10,804.20 after trading between 10,774.69 and 10,828.21 on turnover of 97.39 billion Taiwan dollars.
Among the actives, China Steel climbed 1.20 percent, while Taiwan Steel Union retreated 0.44 percent, Largan Precision tumbled 4.47 percent, Hon Hai Precision advanced 0.86 percent, United Microelectronics Corporation skidded 2.78 percent, AU Optronics lost 0.38 percent, Catcher Technology dropped 1.77 percent, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company added 0.41 percent, CTBC Financial perked 0.47 percent, Yuanta Financial jumped 1.64 percent, Fubon Financial gained 0.20 percent, Cathay Financial collected 0.39 percent, Mega Financial gathered 0.39 percent, Chunghwa Telecom dipped 0.46 percent and Formosa Plastic picked up 0.92 percent.
The lead from Wall Street is mixed to lower as stocks opened in the green Wednesday but faded after the latest batch of FOMC minutes. Only the tech-heavy NASDAQ remained in the green.
The Dow shed 88.69 points or 0.34 percent to finish at 25,733.60, while the NASDAQ added 29.92 points or 0.38 percent to 7,889.10 and the S&P fell 1.14 points or 0.04 percent to 2,861.82.
The markets lost steam after the release of the latest batch of minutes from the Federal Reserve, which indicated that the Fed will defy President Donald Trump and continue to expect to raise its benchmark lending rate.
The Fed also issued a thinly veiled warning about trade wars, relevant to escalating tariffs between the United States and China.
In other economic news, the National Association of Realtors noted an unexpected drop in existing home sales in July.
Crude oil prices rose sharply on Wednesday, lifted by data showing a larger than expected decline in U.S. crude stockpiles last week. Crude oil futures for October delivery ended up $2.02 or 3.1 percent at $67.86 a barrel, the highest in almost two weeks.
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Market Analysis
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.