The Taiwanese stock market fell on Friday (January 5), with the Taiwan Weighted Index closing down 1.39%, dragged down by sectors such as transportation and machinery. With most stocks declining, market sentiment was relatively weak, especially with some tech and optical stocks underperforming.
Among individual stocks, the top performer was Mao Bao (TW:1732), rising 9.95% to 33.70, followed by Heng Da (TW:1325), which gained 9.87% to 38.40. Guo Guang Biotechnology (TW:4142) also rose 9.83% to close at 22.90. The rise in these stocks was mainly driven by optimistic expectations for the respective industries.
However, the weakest performing stocks included Lian De Holdings-KY (TW:4912), which fell 9.97% to 153.50; Asia Optical (TW:3019), declining 9.86% to 155.50; and He Chun Technology (TW:6215), falling 9.19% to 94.90. These companies may have been affected by cyclicality in their industries or short-term market sentiment.
The overall performance of the Taiwan Stock Exchange was negative, with no stocks closing higher for the day. Although the index saw a significant drop, there were still certain fluctuations during the session, reflecting market uncertainty.
In other markets, WTI crude oil futures for February delivery rose 0.55% to settle at $74.33. Brent crude oil futures for March delivery increased by 0.53% to $77.33, indicating higher expectations for energy demand. Additionally, February gold futures rose 0.32% to 2,699.41, attracting safe-haven investments.
The US dollar rose 0.23% against the Taiwan dollar (USD/TWD) to 32.96, while the Taiwan dollar remained stable against the Chinese yuan (TWD/CNY) at 0.22. The US dollar index futures also slightly increased by 0.16% to 109.18, showing the robust performance of the dollar market.
Overall, the performance of the Taiwan stock market on Friday was pressured by several sectors, particularly the declines in the transportation and machinery sectors, although certain gold and energy assets still performed well.
