According to UDN, the TAIEX plunged as much as 3,737.67 points intraday on Friday before closing down 1,873.08 points at 39,701.64, below the 40,000 mark. The index fell 5,510 points, or 12.19 percent, over the week and is 20.55 percent below this year’s high of 49,968. Foreign investors sold a net NT$994.3 billion in October and a further NT$524.4 billion through November 6, the paper said.

The fund held an extraordinary committee meeting on Friday afternoon and authorized its executive secretary to deploy money as the market requires. The report called it the fund’s 10th market-stabilization operation, starting Monday. The current ceiling is NT$500 billion, but borrowed funds actually used in the past were around NT$200 billion.

Ruan’s request and remarks

Ruan said the current size is insufficient when daily turnover often exceeds NT$1 trillion, and that he hopes the legislature will support a NT$1 trillion ceiling. UDN noted that he also said ‘some are deliberately short-selling and hitting the market’, a remark that stirred debate.

The record was cited too. The fund has stepped in nine times and ended in profit eight times; its latest operation, in April 2025 amid tariff shocks, lasted 279 days. Raising the ceiling requires legal changes, and the outcome of any legislative discussion has not been confirmed.

Retail reaction

UDN relayed PTT stock-board comments that were split. Some feared the fund would become a ‘cash machine’ if foreign investors truly dump shares, and others said public statements reveal the fund’s intentions. Supporters said the fund’s purpose is to steady confidence rather than guarantee gains, and that its high success rate justifies it.

The next questions are whether a larger ceiling can actually absorb foreign selling pressure, and when and how much the fund deploys. UDN noted the content is for reference and not investment advice; this newspaper makes no call on individual stocks or index direction.