On Friday, shares on the Taiwan stock exchange experienced a general downturn, culminating in a 1.62% decrease in the Taiwan Weighted Index by the market's close. The decline was largely driven by losses in the Electricity and Other Electronic industry segments, which weighed heavily on the overall market sentiment.
Among the positive performers, Episil-Precision Inc (TW:3016) led gains with a 10.00% increase, climbing 6.60 points to finish at 72.60, marking a new 52-week high for the company. Similarly, Zyxel Group Corp (TW:3704) advanced by 9.99%, or 3.60 points, ending the session at 39.65. Phihong Technology Co Ltd (TW:2457) also posted strong results, appreciating 9.96%, or 3.35 points, to close at 37.00, another 52-week peak for the stock.
On the downside, Favite Inc (TW:3535) saw a steep drop of 9.96%, losing 11.50 points to conclude at 104.00. Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology Inc (TW:3006) decreased 9.87%, or 15.00 points, ending the day at 137.00. Orient Semiconductor Electronics Ltd (TW:2329) also declined notably, falling 8.73%, equivalent to 6.10 points, finishing the session at 63.80. The volume of declining stocks exceeded that of advancing shares on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, indicating widespread downward pressure.
In commodities, March delivery crude oil prices increased by 0.77%, adding 0.46 to trade at $59.82 per barrel. Brent crude for March delivery similarly rose 0.73%, or 0.47, reaching $64.53 a barrel. The February Gold Futures contract gained 0.99%, or 48.41, closing at $4,961.81 per troy ounce.
Currency movements included a 0.21% decrease of the USD/TWD pair to 31.54, while the TWD/CNY rate remained relatively stable with a 0.14% uptick to 0.22. The US Dollar Index Futures experienced a slight decline of 0.03%, settling at 98.15.