Taipei: Shares in Taiwan closed lower Friday, with the Taiex benchmark index ending the day down 71.59 points, or 0.24 percent, at 30,288.96. The index experienced fluctuations, moving between 29,925.49 and 30,500.42 throughout the trading session, with a turnover totaling NT$676.31 billion (US$21.71 billion).
According to Focus Taiwan, the market remained in a state of consolidation after a strong recent performance. Concord Asset Management analyst Lu Chin-wei noted that the Taiex found solid technical support when it dipped below the 30,000 mark early in the session. The drop follows a recent rally where the index surged 1,612.70 points, or 5.57 percent, within the first three trading days of 2026.
TSMC, a major player representing over 40 percent of the market's total value, closed down 0.30 percent at NT$1,680.00, recovering from a low of NT$1,655.00. Despite the dip, optimism surrounding TSMC's sales, driven by AI demand, helped the broader market rebound to the 30,000-point level. Later in the day, TSMC reported consolidated sales of NT$3.81 trillion for 2025, setting a new single-year record.
In the semiconductor industry, Nanya Technology Corp. faced a sharp decline, plunging 10 percent to end at NT$217.50, while MediaTek Inc. fell 1.73 percent to NT$1,420.00 on profit-taking. Conversely, United Microelectronics Corp. experienced a rise, closing up 4.36 percent at NT$55.10.
Other tech stocks showed mixed results, with AI server maker Quanta Computer Inc. climbing 3.66 percent to NT$283.00 following a record sales report for December. Compeq Manufacturing Co., a printed circuit maker, soared the maximum 10 percent to NT$115.50 due to rotational buying.
Non-tech stocks mirrored the broader market's consolidation trend, with notable declines in military concept stocks. Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp. fell 3.97 percent to NT$145.00, and Lungteh Shipbuilding Co. dropped 0.74 percent to NT$134.00. In the financial sector, which saw a 0.17 percent loss, Fubon Financial Holding Co. decreased by 1.55 percent to NT$95.50, while Mega Financial Holding Co. rose 0.49 percent to NT$40.65.
Lu highlighted the upcoming U.S. non-farm payroll data, suggesting that its release could impact the U.S. markets. Meanwhile, foreign institutional investors sold a net NT$6.88 billion in shares on the Taiwan market Friday.