Euronews says Taiwan's stock market jumped 59% in the first half of 2026, powered by demand for AI hardware, with TSMC and other chip heavyweights out in front of the rally. Big returns pulled in plenty of retail investors. Fast. Many borrowed from banks or mortgaged their properties to get into the market, and margin trading volume climbed nearly 20% versus the first half of the year.
Some people cleaned up. One example: a real estate practitioner surnamed Chen borrowed NT$5 million and watched his assets quadruple in six months. But others got hit hard. An anonymous user said he lost nearly half of his investment of more than NT$10 million, including a NT$6 million mortgage loan, and even developed mental health issues. Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission said overall credit risk is still under control and released a video on social media warning young investors about the risks of loan defaults.