After the TAIEX fell 1,156 points on October 30 and dropped below its half-year moving average, the Financial Supervisory Commission said it is closely tracking key moving averages and three risk indicators. The regulator reiterated that it will not intervene while market information is reflected normally, but will act if irrational behavior appears.
Economic Daily News reported on the night of November 1 that the TAIEX dropped 1,156 points last Friday, October 30, closing below its half-year moving average. The paper tied the move to weakness in US technology shares amid doubts over whether AI investment will pay off. The one-day decline was 2.49%.
광고 문의 · 300×250On the same day Japan's Nikkei fell 2.34% and South Korea's KOSPI fell 4.04%. Economic Daily News said Taiwan's drop was steeper than Japan's but milder than Korea's, within the range of major Asian markets. Even so, the size of the single-day fall is not in dispute.
The three gauges the FSC is watching
The FSC said it is watching the annual, half-year and quarterly moving averages. Its three risk indicators are the overall margin maintenance ratio, the share of short selling through securities lending, and the settlement default rate. Monitoring covers two areas: international political and economic conditions with capital flows, and TAIEX trends with trading and credit risk.
As of October 30 the overall margin maintenance ratio stood at 173.46%, above the 130% margin-call threshold, and lending-based short selling was about 3.93% of trading value, which the FSC said it will keep tracking. It asked the Taiwan Stock Exchange and the Taipei Exchange to watch global markets closely and said it will take relevant measures if necessary.
Where the line for intervention lies
FSC Chairman Peng Chin-lung said earlier that regulators will not step in as long as market information is reflected normally and is not distorted. Measures would be considered only if irrational behavior or market failure emerges. The latest statement keeps that principle while signaling a higher level of vigilance.
Fundamentals cited by Economic Daily News include a TAIEX price-to-earnings ratio of about 26.68 at end-September and combined first-nine-month revenue of NT$49.89 trillion for listed and OTC companies, up 38.21% year on year. Actual trading after the open on November 2 and any concrete measures were not confirmed at the time of writing.