Foreign Investors Net Buy NT$45.45 Billion in Taiwan Stocks as Container Shipping, Optical Comm Rally

How much did foreign investors buy against local mutual funds' selling on August 17?

Foreign investors net bought NT$45.45 billion (454.47億元) of Taiwan shares on August 17, 2026, more than offsetting a NT$17.75 billion (177.47億元) net sell from local mutual fundsCITE:E5CITE:E6. Proprietary traders added a net NT$1.41 billion (14.05億元) of buying, bringing the three major institutional investor categories to a combined net purchase of NT$29.11 billion (291.06億元) for the sessionCITE:E7CITE:E4. Taipei Exchange (TPEx) has compiled and published this three-way institutional investor trading breakdown since April 20, 2007CITE:E1.

How did the TAIEX and TPEx index perform, and how large was trading volume?

The TAIEX closed August 17 up 46.26 points (+0.10%) at 45,857.27, while the over-the-counter TPEx index fell 2.63 points (-0.66%) to 398.32CITE:E2CITE:E8. Combined turnover for the session reached NT$979.41 billion (9,794.07億元)CITE:E3.

Why did container shipping stocks lead gains?

Container shipping stocks rose an average of 7.22% on August 17, with Wan Hai Lines (萬海) hitting its daily limit-up to close at NT$99.6CITE:E9. Yang Ming Marine Transport (陽明) climbed 6.01% to close at NT$54.7CITE:E10.

How did optical communication and GaAs CPO stocks perform?

The gallium arsenide (GaAs) and optical communication CPO group gained an average of 6.34% on August 17, led by IET-KY, which hit its daily limit-up to close at NT$528CITE:E11.

How did IC substrate and carrier board stocks perform?

IC substrate and carrier board stocks rose an average of 3.10% on August 17; Unimicron Technology (欣興) jumped 9.80%, just short of the daily limit, to close at NT$1,120 ahead of its investor conferenceCITE:E12.

Why did motherboard and notebook stocks fall despite record earnings?

Motherboard stocks fell an average of 4.40% on August 17. Sector bellwether Gigabyte Technology (技嘉) reported a record quarterly EPS of NT$9.86 for the second quarter, but profit-taking sent its shares to a daily limit-down close of NT$358CITE:E13. Notebook computer stocks fell an average of 3.27%, with Compal Electronics (仁寶) down 3.59% to close at NT$41.65CITE:E14.

How did the broader market and institutional investors react after TSMC's (台積電) April earnings call?

Following TSMC's earnings call, the TAIEX opened higher but reversed to close down 327.68 points at 36,804.34 on April 17, 2026, as trading value expanded to NT$943.12 billion (9,431.19億元)CITE:E15CITE:E16. The three major institutional investor categories ended a three-day buying streak and turned net sellers, combining for a net sale of NT$15.92 billion (159.19億元), led by local mutual fundsCITE:E17. Foreign and China-based investors (excluding foreign proprietary desks) net sold NT$2.04 billion (20.4億元), local mutual funds net sold NT$10.32 billion (103.15億元), and combined proprietary trading desks net sold NT$3.57 billion (35.65億元)CITE:E19.

Which stocks stood out that day — WinWay, Chroma ATE, and UMC (聯電)?

WinWay Technology (穎崴, TWSE:6515) opened above the NT$10,000 mark on April 17, becoming only the second Taiwan-listed stock ever to do so, and touched an intraday high of NT$10,675CITE:E20. Chroma ATE (致茂) locked at its daily limit-up to close at NT$2,255, contributing nearly 30 points to the TAIEX's advance and becoming the session's largest single contributor to the index gainCITE:E21. UMC's (聯電) trading volume surged to more than 494,000 lots, with shares touching an intraday high of NT$74.8 before closing up 6.88% at NT$73CITE:E22.

How much did the TAIEX gain for the week of April 13-17?

For the week of April 13-17, 2026, the TAIEX rose a cumulative 1,386.51 points, a gain of 3.91%CITE:E18.

What this means

Lined up side by side, the two sessions show a consistent pattern: local mutual funds were net sellers in both periods — NT$10.32 billion (103.15億元) on April 17 and a larger NT$17.75 billion (177.47億元) on August 17 — while the direction of the broader three major institutions swung from a combined NT$15.92 billion (159.19億元) net sell in April to a NT$29.11 billion (291.06億元) net buy in August, driven chiefly by foreign investors' NT$45.45 billion (454.47億元) purchaseCITE:E17CITE:E4CITE:E5. Within the August session, gains concentrated in container shipping (+7.22%) and optical communication CPO (+6.34%), even as motherboard stocks (-4.40%) and notebook stocks (-3.27%) moved the opposite direction, including Gigabyte's limit-down close despite its record NT$9.86 quarterly EPSCITE:E9CITE:E11CITE:E13.