Yesterday's rest days in the U.S. and U.K., due to Memorial Day and a spring bank holiday, left the American and British stock markets dormant, allowing us to shift our focus towards continental European stocks, which saw modest increases. Germany's and France's stock indices rose by 0.3% and 0.4% respectively. In other sectors, Brent crude oil experienced a rise of nearly 1.2%, and gold increased approximately 0.7%. However, silver surged dramatically by over 4%, nearing its previous peak. In the realm of digital assets, Bitcoin momentarily surpassed the $70,000 mark, settling at $69,600. Momentum in Shanghai's Europe-bound shipping rates was evident with a 3.2% increase.

The influence of last Friday’s rise in U.S. tech stocks profoundly benefitted Taiwan's stock market, pushing it up by 238 points to new historical heights. The market is eyeing the 22,000-point mark this week, driven largely by a resurgence in electronic stocks, which now account for 70% of stock transactions. The excitement was further fueled by NVIDIA's CEO, Jensen Huang's visit to Taiwan for a computer exhibition, uplifting AI-related stocks. Despite this, the strongest performance in Asian markets was unexpectedly seen in shipping stocks, reflecting a similar surge in the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), which escalated over 7%. Coupled with reports of shipping rates from Asia to Northern Europe soaring, Chinese shipping companies have seen significant growth, with stocks like COSCO Shipping (601919-TW) rising by more than 6%, marking a new yearly high. Japanese shipping giants like Nippon Yusen (9101-JP), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (9104-JP), and Kawasaki Kisen (9107-JP) also approached historic highs, leading to transport stocks in Taiwan closing 2.8% higher, with Wan Hai (2615-TW) and Ta-Ho (2636-TW) hitting their price ceiling.

Long-term followers of this column might recall my recommendation to invest in Evergreen Marine (2603-TW) just before its ex-dividend date last year. Closing yesterday at 223 TWD from an ex-dividend reference price of 85 TWD, the stock returns have more than doubled, surpassing significant milestones. Comparatively, during the same period, TSMC (2330-TW) saw about a 60% increase, highlighting a battle between electronic and non-electronic sectors. This substantiates my assertion: electronic stocks are not the sole mainstream players. In the bulk carrier segment, foreign investors heavily purchased shares of Chengtay (2641-TW) after a 100% profit increase in Q1, indicating a bullish uptrend from a technical perspective.

Regarding electronics, I remain bullish on silicon photonics with OptoTech (4979-TW) leading the projections. From a recent low around 110 TWD, the stock has already touched peaks above 150 TWD, insights from previous recommendations are available in our free membership audio-visual content. Equally critical, I strongly advocate for investing in cryptocurrency-related stocks, especially Bitcoin concept stocks like Qingyun (5386-TW), with major international players starting to establish in this sector.

As the market zooms in on the computer exhibition and Jensen Huang's visit to Taiwan, shipping stocks almost tripled the gains of electronic stocks. It's essential to monitor biotech stocks, awaiting new regulatory approvals to discuss further. Given the increasing complexity of market operations, our latest free member audio has been uploaded. For operational or investment concerns, feel free to join my LINE group through the provided link for personalised advice.

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Joining our investment club will provide you with direct assistance and stock market consultation from our team. At Taiwan's Strategy Hotline, we aim to achieve steady victories with Professor Chiu's guidance, ensuring you grasp the global market trends effectively. Remember, our recommendations are independent of inappropriate financial interests; past performances do not guarantee future results, and investors should make judicious decisions and bear their investment risks.

Article sourced from Analyst Chiu Ding-Tai at Henda Consultancy.

This company recommends individual securities without any improper financial interest relationships; past performance does not guarantee future profits. Investors should independently judge and carefully evaluate before making any investment decisions.

Last edited at：2024/12/16