Taipei, February 14, 2026, 19:54 (Taipei time) — Market closed.
- TSMC’s Taiwan-listed shares go into a long holiday pause near record levels.
- A new U.S.-Taiwan tariff pact puts chip supply chains and overseas investment back in focus.
- Traders will watch U.S. tech moves and politics for cues before Taiwan reopens.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s Taiwan-listed shares finished at a record close in the last session before the Lunar New Year break, leaving investors to chew through policy headlines with no local trading until Feb. 23. TSMC (2330.TW) rose 1.86% to T$1,915 on Feb. 11, marking a new closing high. (taipeitimes.com)
That matters because Taiwan’s market pause lands in the middle of a noisy stretch for semiconductors — tariffs, big-ticket investment pledges and shifting expectations for AI demand. Moves in U.S. chip stocks and the dollar can translate into sharp gaps when Taipei reopens, especially for a company that drives the index.
One of the immediate overhangs is a new U.S.-Taiwan reciprocal trade agreement signed this week. It confirmed a 15% U.S. tariff rate on imports from Taiwan and committed Taipei to a schedule to eliminate or lower tariffs on nearly all U.S. goods, Reuters reported. The deal also includes commitments for Taiwan to boost purchases of U.S. goods from 2025 through 2029 and a $250 billion investment pledge by Taiwanese companies, and it still needs approval from Taiwan’s parliament. (Reuters)
President Lai Ching-te tried to cool talk that the investment push would hollow out the island’s chip industry, saying the decisions were for companies to make while stressing that core capacity would stay at home. “Its purpose is … to enable our industries to go global,” Lai told reporters, and he pointed to R&D and advanced manufacturing staying in Taiwan. Reuters said the $250 billion figure included $100 billion already committed by TSMC, which is investing $165 billion in Arizona, while the opposition Kuomintang called for a “Chip National Security Act” to limit overseas factory scale and block core technology transfers without legislative approval. (Reuters)
The macro backdrop has turned more upbeat as well — and that cuts both ways for a stock priced for strong growth. Taiwan’s statistics agency raised its 2026 GDP growth forecast to 7.71% from 3.54%, citing global demand tied to artificial intelligence — software that learns from data — and Taiwan’s role in that supply chain anchored by TSMC, Reuters reported. It also forecast exports rising 22.22% and inflation at 1.68%, while flagging risks from possible cuts in U.S. capital spending and geopolitical uncertainty. (Reuters)
TSMC has added to the momentum with its own sales data. The company reported January consolidated revenue of T$401.255 billion, up 36.8% from a year earlier. (investor.tsmc.com)
Investors will keep one eye on the competitive map. Any renewed pressure on chip tariffs or overseas investment limits would ripple beyond TSMC to peers and customers, from Samsung Electronics to Intel, and through the wider hardware supply chain.
The clean story — steady AI demand, strong exports, and a tariff deal that locks in a known rate — is also the crowded one. After a long holiday shutdown, crowded trades can unwind fast if U.S. tech sells off, if lawmakers slow-walk the trade pact, or if Washington signals fresh restrictions that hit chip capex plans.
The first test comes when Taiwan’s market reopens on Feb. 23. The next hard datapoint from the company is close behind: TSMC’s financial calendar shows it plans to release February monthly sales on March 10. (investor.tsmc.com)
