NT Dollar and Stocks Move in Opposite Directions, Record High Trading Volume Amid 9.7-Cent Depreciation to 32.345

Taipei's foreign exchange market saw mixed movements today (21st). Unlike the strong rebound in the Taiwan stock market, which gained as much as 1,783.17 points and recovered above the 44,000-point threshold, the New Taiwan dollar closed down 9.7 cents at 32.345. Trading volume at Taipei Foreign Exchange Brokers reached $3.223 billion, marking the third-highest single-day volume in history.

The New Taiwan dollar opened at 32.22 (up 2.8 cents) and briefly rose to 32.215. However, after midday, depreciation pressure intensified and trading volume surged rapidly. The currency broke below the 32.4 level, hitting a low of 32.442, with the intraday high-low spread widening to 2.27 cents.

Among major Asian currencies, the New Taiwan dollar depreciated 0.3%, the Japanese yen fell over 0.1%, while the Korean won, Thai baht, Chinese yuan, and the U.S. dollar index fluctuated narrowly around flat levels. The Singapore dollar rose逆势 by approximately 0.1%.

Uni Securities Investment Trust noted that while market attention remains on geopolitical developments in the Middle East and awaits further news on 301 tariff policies, U.S. consumer inflation expectations have sharply declined, boosting consumer confidence to a five-month high. This week’s upcoming manufacturing and services PMI data are also expected to show broad-based improvement.

Regarding the short-term outlook for Taiwan stocks, Uni Securities Investment Trust stated that market focus has shifted to earnings reports from large tech companies, hoping these results will alleviate concerns over AI monetization and slowing investment pace.