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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Economy & Trade

AI Frenzy Sweeps Taiwan, Japan, South Korea: Taxi Drivers, Teachers Join Stock Market Rush

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • An AI boom has fueled a widespread stock market frenzy across Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, with ordinary citizens investing heavily.
  • Global demand for AI infrastructure, particularly semiconductors, has driven significant growth in Asian stock markets and company profits.
  • Individuals from taxi drivers in Taipei to elementary school teachers in Seoul are participating, with some seeing substantial investment gains and using profits for major purchases.

A wave of artificial intelligence innovation has ignited a fervent stock market boom across Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, drawing in a diverse range of investors from taxi drivers to teachers. The global surge in demand for AI infrastructure, heavily reliant on semiconductors from these Asian economies, has propelled company profits and investor portfolios to new heights.

Despite recent market corrections, Taiwan's main stock index has doubled in value over the past year, while South Korea's market has tripled. Japan's Nikkei index has surged over 80%, significantly outperforming the S&P 500. This AI-driven growth is not only boosting stock values but also driving up wages and encouraging widespread investment.

In Taipei, individuals like 37-year-old insurance agent Yeh Lun-hao have seen their investments triple, enabling him to purchase a new apartment. He notes that friends who previously avoided the market are now seeking his advice. Similarly, in South Korea, 35-year-old elementary school teacher Choi Sung-ho has seen his stock portfolio grow fivefold, reaching over $300,000. He plans to purchase a luxury vehicle with his earnings, and even students at his school report their parents are happily trading stocks.

If it weren't for semiconductors, none of this would have happened.

— Yeh Lun-haoAn insurance agent in Taipei explaining the impact of the semiconductor industry on his investments.

The trend extends to younger investors, with South Korean brokerages opening over 180,000 trading accounts for minors in the first quarter alone. Even companies like Japanese bathroom manufacturer Toto and food giant Ajinomoto are benefiting from the AI craze, with their stock prices rising significantly due to their indirect contributions to semiconductor production.

While many are eagerly participating, some students, like 21-year-old Ryoki Nao studying semiconductor engineering in Japan, are waiting until after graduation to invest, preferring to enter the market with a stable income.

My parents are so happy because they made money from stocks.

— Choi Sung-ho's studentsStudents at a South Korean school commenting on their parents' stock market gains.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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