Stocks rose yesterday to end above the 6,000-point mark for the first time in more than two weeks, as a more positive mood took hold, dealers said.
The TAIEX finished 68.89 points, or 1.2 percent, higher at 6,027.27 in dealings valued at NT$106.36 billion (US$3.16 billion). TAIEX futures for June delivery rose 2.6 percent to 5,990.
The last time the index finished above 6,000 was on May 7, when it closed at 6,040.26.
Foreign investors were net buyers for the second consecutive day with purchases of shares worth US$85.72 million, after being net sellers for 19 straight sessions.
Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控), the nation's largest financial group, led gains among lenders after the nation's central bank said lending rose last month, its fastest pace in six years, as companies borrow funds to expand.
Total lending by the nation's financial institutions rose 8 percent to NT$14.65 trillion last month, from NT$13.49 trillion a year earlier, the central bank said.
The increase is the biggest since an 8.65 percent gain in June 1998 and marked the eighth consecutive month of growth.
Cathay Financial rose 2.6 percent to NT$59. Fubon Financial Holding Co (
The Taiwan-based Dramexchange.com forecast spot prices of the most widely used computer-memory chip may rise this week, ending a slide that started May 10.
Winbond Electronics Corp (
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