(RTTNews) – The Taiwan stock market ticked higher again on Friday, one day after ending the three-day winning streak in which it had rallied more than 2,450 points or 5.2 percent. The Taiwan Stock Exchange now sits just above the 46,780-point plateau and it’s expected to open to the upside again on Monday.
The global forecast for the Asian markets is flat to higher on easing Middle East tensions and hopes that the Federal Reserve will not tighten its monetary policy for now. The European markets were up and the U.S. bourses were closed for Independence Day, and the Asian markets are expected to tick higher as well.
The TSE finished slightly higher on Friday following mixed performances from the financial shares, plastics stocks and technology companies.
For the day, the index rose 36.42 points or 0.08 percent to finish at 46,780.62 after trading between 45,880.69 and 46,948.83.
Among the actives, Cathay Financial perked 0.11 percent, while Mega Financial skidded 1.09 percent, First Financial collected 0.93 percent, Fubon Financial vaulted 1.26 percent, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company sank 0.81 percent, United Microelectronics Corporation rallied 3.02 percent, Hon Hai Precision added 0.63 percent, Largan Precision tumbled 1.51 percent, Catcher Technology spiked 2.73 percent, MediaTek plunged 3.45 percent, Delta Electronics soared 5.33 percent, Novatek Microelectronics lost 0.55 percent, Formosa Plastics jumped 4.02 percent, Asia Cement perked 0.14 percent and CTBC Financial, E Sun Financial and Nan Ya Plastics were unchanged.
There is no lead from Wall Street, but the major European markets saw modest gains thanks to easing Middle East tensions.
The UK’s FTSE 100 gained 0.25%, Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 moved up 0.78% and 0.39%, respectively. Switzerland’s SMI closed 0.5% up.
Germany’s DAX hit a new all-time high, while France’s CAC 40 climbed to its best levels since February 2026.
Disappointing U.S. employment data also gave the markets a lift as it fueled hopes that the Federal Reserve may not tighten its monetary policy in the near future.
Oil prices held steady on Friday but headed for their fourth straight weekly loss on eased concerns over supply disruptions in the Middle East. West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery edged up 0.2 percent to $68.84 per barrel.
