Taiwan: Stocks rise, retest key 10,000 level

[TAIPEI] Taiwan stocks rose on Thursday led by gains in shares of semiconductor and plastics makers, with the index hitting a key 10,000 points level touched intraday earlier this week.

The market was also lifted by MSCI's global stocks benchmark that hit a record closing high as strength in oil prices buoyed energy stocks globally.

As of 0250 GMT, the main Taiex index was up 0.39 per cent at 10,007.16, after closing 0.5 per cent higher on Wednesday.

The semiconductor subindex was up 0.74 per cent, while the plastics subindex rose 0.79 per cent.

Among actively traded shares, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world's largest contract chipmaker and major Apple Inc supplier, was up 0.73 per cent despite posting a 14.9 per cent fall in April sales.

The Taiwan dollar strengthened NT$0.050 to stand at NT$30.216 to the US dollar.

On Tuesday, Taiwan stocks broke above the key 10,000 level for the first time in two years as retail investors piled in behind foreign ones to snap up shares.

REUTERS