Taiwan: Stocks rise; TSMC jumps ahead of sales data

[TAIPEI] Taiwan stocks rose along with other regional bourses on Thursday, led by gains in heavyweights such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC).

Asian stocks edged up on Thursday after New Zealand surprised markets with a rate cut, keeping investors primed for more stimulus from the European Central Bank later in the day as global policy makers step up efforts to support their wobbly economies.

As of 0150 GMT, the main TAIEX index rose 0.5 per cent, to 8,673.02, after closing at 8,634.11 in the previous session.

TSMC, the world's top contract chipmaker, added 0.3 per cent. The company is set to release its latest monthly sales data after market closes on Thursday.

Taiwan's electronics subindex rose 0.4 per cent, while the financials subindex gained 0.3 per cent.

The Taiwan dollar firmed T$0.29 to T$32.935 per US dollar.

REUTERS