Following the four-day Tomb Sweeping holiday, Taiwan' stock market suffered
its worst single-day drop on record today, rocked by global reactions to
newly announced U-S tariffs.

The benchmark Taiex plunged 2,065 points, or 9.7 -percent, driven by
investor panic in response to U-S President Donald Trump's announcement of
reciprocal tariffs.

The move sent shockwaves through global markets, with export-reliant
economies like Taiwan hit especially hard.

A staggering 1,700 stocks fell to their daily limit-down levels, including
tech heavyweights TSMC, Hon Hai, and MediaTek.

T-S-M-C alone dropped $94 NT, wiping out around 750 index points.

With so many stocks locked at their lower limit, investors were unable to
sell, and turnover shrank sharply to $147.3 billion NT.

Defensive sectors such as telecom and consumer staples proved more resilient.

Chunghwa Telecom and Uni-President posted relatively mild losses, offering a
rare pocket of stability in an otherwise chaotic session.

Cathay S-I-T-E Chairman Chang Hsi (張錫) likened the sell-off to the market
panic seen during the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, cautioning investors against
panic selling.

He described the current downturn as a 'man-made bear market', arguing that
Taiwan's long-term fundamentals remain intact.

(IG)