Government announces cash payout! Starting 10/6, eligible recipients will receive a 'NT$10,000 cash gift' directly in their accounts. Eligibility and application details
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 風傳媒
The Taichung City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau has launched a group-tour incentive, offering a subsidy of NT$10,000 per group. The program aims to use the Flower Carpet Festival to attract operators to plan overnight trips and boost tourism spending in Taichung.
Facts
The Taichung City Government Tourism and Travel Bureau has launched the “2026 Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival Group Tour Incentive,” offering a NT$10,000 incentive for each eligible tour group.
The incentive offers places for a total of 70 domestic and international tour groups. Online registration opens on Oct. 6 and will close once all places are filled.
Travel agencies wishing to apply should note that each group must have at least 15 people and must complete registration before departure. Groups may depart only after receiving a primary or waitlist place.
The incentive requires itineraries to feature a “major event + tourism highlights + Taichung accommodation” theme and include the “2026 Xinshe Flower Sea and Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival.”
The itinerary must also include at least 1 “Taichung City Top 100 Tourist Attractions” site and at least 1 night at a licensed accommodation in Taichung City.
“This type of civil servant” owed 100,000 hours of compensatory leave! Civic group exposes基层 overtime horror stories: taking 6 or 7 years to use it all
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 風傳媒
台灣公務革新力量聯盟 has exposed severe leave backlogs among frontline police and firefighters, with one firefighter accumulating 100,000 hours of unused compensatory leave. 警政署 rules that unused compensatory leave is settled with commendations when it expires, drawing criticism for violating Interpretation No. 785’s protection of the right to health and amounting to unpaid labor.
Facts
Frontline firefighters have accumulated more than 100,000 hours of unused compensatory leave over the years.
A local fire department acknowledged that clearing 100,000 hours of overtime by scheduling leave would take 6 to 7 years.
If the 100,000 hours of unused compensatory leave were paid as overtime, the total would be NT$60 million.
警政署 rules that when compensatory leave expires after 兩 years, every 40 hours of unused leave is exchanged for 1 commendation.
A 2023 amendment to Article 23 of the Public Servants Protection Act extended the compensatory leave period to 2 years.
With NT$100,000, should you buy 0050 or 0056? People overwhelmingly agree: for a small principal, “it” is the only right answer
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 風傳媒
In Taiwan’s ETF market, the market-cap-weighted 0050 has surpassed NT$2 trillion in assets. Asked whether beginners with NT$100,000 should choose 0050 or 0056, most online commenters recommended 0050 for small investors seeking capital gains, with investments made in installments.
Facts
元大台灣50 (0050), managed by 元大, has officially surpassed NT$2 trillion in assets, setting a record for Taiwan stocks.
元大高股息 (0056), managed by 元大, has posted a 122.2% total return, including dividends, over the past three years, and is up 39.7% so far this year.
The constituents of 0050 include Taiwan’s 50 largest companies by market capitalization, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., MediaTek and Foxconn.
A stock market beginner posted on the online forum Dcard, saying they had only NT$100,000 to invest in the stock market.
For a principal of NT$100,000, most commenters recommended putting it all into 0050 to pursue long-term capital gains.
40 hours of overtime for 1 commendation? 公革力 exposes frontline police’s unpaid labor backlog: compensatory leave and NT$19,000 in overtime pay “there to see, but not to get”
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 風傳媒
台灣公務革新力量聯盟 has exposed the backlog of compensatory leave for frontline police working excessive hours, criticizing 警政署 for settling unused leave under the old “40 hours for 1 commendation” rule, in violation of the spirit of Interpretation No. 785’s protection of the right to health.
Facts
The “40 hours for 1 commendation” rule was an old regulation from 2020.
After a 2023 amendment to Article 23 of the Public Servants Protection Act, the compensatory leave period was extended to 2 years.
Police overtime pay is capped at NT$19,000 per person per month; excess hours can only be recorded as compensatory leave.
公革力 said Interpretation No. 785 ruled that the right to health of shift-working civil servants is protected by the Constitution.
In a police system awash with commendations, 40 hours earns only 0.1 points on an evaluation form.
The Tang dynasty actually banned cremation! Burning a parent’s remains was punishable by hanging. Why did “burning corpses” still secretly catch on among the public?
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 風傳媒
This article explores the contradiction between the popularity of cremation among the public during the Tang dynasty and the court’s ban. Influenced by Buddhism, poverty and difficulties returning home, cremation became widespread; despite the court’s ban backed by the death penalty, it persisted.
Facts
The Tang Code Commentary stipulated that anyone who burned their parents’ remains would be punished by hanging.
Reasons for the spread of cremation during the Tang dynasty included Buddhist beliefs, financial hardship and the desire to return home.
Dunhuang manuscripts record that 二百三十 monks were hired to perform cremation at the funeral of Ma Chounü.
Tang military regulations allowed bodies to be burned and buried where they fell when they could not be brought back.
Hong Mai of the Southern Song dynasty said the custom of cremation originated in the Buddhist practice of cremation.
Media reports say 台積電 is exploring a partnership with Musk’s Terafab and considering locating its second U.S. campus in Texas. Investment in each plant is estimated at about US$20 billion, though neither side has officially confirmed the plans.
Facts
Technology journalist Tim Culpan reported that 台積電 is exploring a partnership with Musk’s Terafab chip plant.
台積電 is considering establishing a second campus in the United States, with Texas seen as one of the most likely locations.
Bloomberg reported that 台積電 is evaluating several chip plants in Texas, each of which could involve investment of about US$20 billion.
台積電 has committed to expanding production in Arizona, but its second campus has yet to be finalized.
Neither 台積電 nor Musk’s camp has officially confirmed the reported partnership.
華新科 said AI demand is strong, customers’ orders have longer visibility, and demand for both capacitors and resistors is good. Its book-to-bill ratio (BB Ratio) continues to rise.
華新科 estimates that tight supply and demand may persist beyond next year.
華新科 said its capacity in Kaohsiung, Dalang in Dongguan, China, and Malaysia is all close to full utilization. Overall capacity is expected to increase by 10% by the end of this year, with another 10% expansion planned for next year.
國巨* (2327-TW) also gained 14% over 2 consecutive trading days, closing at NT$626 on Friday and moving back above its quarterly moving average.
天二科技 (6834-TW), 千如 (3236-TW) and 鈺鎧 (5228-TW) also hit the limit-up for 2 consecutive days.
特斯拉 (TSLA-US) announced third-quarter delivery figures on Oct. 2. Total deliveries of 486,532 vehicles were down 2.1% year over year but beat market expectations, lifting the stock 4.65%.
Facts
特斯拉 delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, down 2.1% from the same period last year.
特斯拉’s third-quarter deliveries exceeded market expectations, and the stock closed up 4.65%.
特斯拉 reduced inventory by 22,141 vehicles in the third quarter, marking a second consecutive quarterly decline.
Companies mentioned：特斯拉、TSLA-US、Electrek、FactSet、The Next Web、Cox Automotive、ACEA、比亞迪
After 東芝 announced its expansion plans, shares of 希捷科技 and 威騰電子 both plunged more than 10%.
東芝 currently has a little over 10% of the global market by storage capacity and has a medium-term target of raising that share to 30%.
Seagate management said its factories are running at full capacity and that it has no expansion plans. It will increase nearline hard drive shipment capacity at a compound annual growth rate of about 25% through HAMR technology.
花旗集團 said 東芝 does not manufacture its own disks or read-write heads, and that its expansion faces bottlenecks in the external supply chain.
Seagate said in January this year that its nearline hard drive storage capacity for 2026 was completely sold out.
Hard drive equipment supplier Veeco rose 11% on Friday against the broader trend, as its equipment is used to manufacture hard drive read-write heads.
Fed may stand pat in October, then press the rate-hike button again in December
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
U.S. Federal Reserve officials are inclined to pause rate hikes in October amid weak employment data and inflation concerns, then adjust rates again in December after key CPI data is released.
Facts
U.S. Federal Reserve policymakers had already been inclined not to raise rates for a second consecutive time this month, giving themselves more time to examine economic data.
Only 29,000 jobs were added in September, below economists’ expectations of 90,000.
Traders currently put the odds of a rate hike in October at about 25%, with the odds of a hike in December much higher.
Fed Vice Chair Jefferson and New York Fed President Williams want to see more data before taking further action.
The U.S. Labor Department reported Friday that the unemployment rate was 4.2% in September, up from 4.1% in August.
Long-term bond yields hit a 24-year high Thursday, while mortgage rates topped 7%.
7.28%! U.S. mortgage rates hit nearly 3-year high; homebuyers pay an extra $276 a month
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
U.S. mortgage rates continue to surge, with the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rising to 7.28% in the week of October 1, the highest in nearly 3 years. Driven by a sharp rise in long-term U.S. Treasury yields and inflation concerns, worsening affordability has led to a drop in applications, while some borrowers are turning to adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs).
Facts
In the week ending October 1, the average U.S. rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped to 7.28% from 7.03% the previous week.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in the U.S. reached its highest level since November 22, 2023.
For a $400,000, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, the monthly principal and interest payment rises by about $276 as the rate climbs from 5.98% at the end of February this year to 7.28%.
For the week ending September 25, seasonally adjusted mortgage applications nationwide fell 6% from the previous week.
For the week ending September 25, ARMs accounted for 10.3% of all mortgage applications, the highest share since October 2025.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield briefly rose to 5.34% on October 1, its highest level since 2002.
Refinance applications also plunged 56% from a year earlier.
A report by Kobeissi Letter reveals a sharp deterioration in U.S. market breadth, with the share of S&P 500 constituents above their moving averages hitting a new low, reflecting a loss of investor confidence. While the market faces a near-term risk of a correction, strong corporate earnings and the absence of euphoria mean the long-term bull trend remains intact.
Facts
Just 25% of S&P 500 constituents are trading above their 50-day moving averages, the lowest proportion since April this year.
Just 47% of S&P 500 constituents remain above their 200-day moving averages, a new six-month low.
For 10 consecutive trading days, the number of New York Stock Exchange stocks hitting 52-week lows has exceeded the number hitting 52-week highs.
G7 abruptly announces release of 100 million barrels from strategic reserves! Oil prices rebound after plunging; U.S.-Iran conflict remains the biggest wildcard
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
The G7, through the IEA, announced the release of up to 100 million barrels of strategic oil and diesel reserves to ease supply pressures caused by the Middle East situation. WTI crude fell sharply before rebounding.
Facts
The G7 announced that it would coordinate through the IEA the release of up to 100 million barrels of diesel, crude oil and other petroleum products from reserves. The move begins immediately and will last 4 months, with diesel releases brought forward substantially during the first 20 days.
WTI crude futures briefly plunged more than 5% intraday, hitting a low of $88.06 before settling at $91.26, down $1.61, or 1.73%.
Of the IEA’s collective action involving 40 million barrels announced in March, about 325 million barrels have now been released, equivalent to more than 80% of the amount originally pledged.
The U.S. is sending the Roosevelt carrier strike group to the Middle East and may add up to about 10,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
The number of LNG cargoes exported through the Strait of Hormuz in September rose to its highest level since the U.S.-Iran conflict began.
European diesel prices briefly plunged more than 8%, then rebounded as crude oil’s losses narrowed.
Trump rejected a proposal put forward by Iran through intermediaries including Qatar.
The G7 urged member countries to coordinate refinery maintenance schedules to avoid multiple refineries shutting down at the same time, and to temporarily increase refinery utilization where feasible.
經濟部 presented two major smart water management achievements on 9/30, announcing the comprehensive adoption of AI and cloud-based big data technologies.
園管局 has introduced AI to identify pipeline risks and smart wastewater networks, cutting power use in wastewater treatment by as much as 29%.
Electricity use per ton of wastewater treated at the Tucheng and Dajia Youth Industrial Parks fell from 0.124 kWh to 0.088 kWh, a 29.03% reduction.
中油公司 developed an AI algorithm to assess pipeline corrosion trends and has completed comparisons for 21 pipelines in Kaohsiung.
長春公司 integrated leak detection with a smart assistant, reducing the response time for leak emissions testing to 2 minutes.
台水公司 partnered with 國家環境研究院 to combine AI technology with monitoring for emerging pollutants and algae.
園管局 plans to expand smart network systems, including automated monitoring of sewer water quality and volume, to 12 industrial parks in the next phase.
三星HBM4 price quote exceeds 3 times that of predecessor, seeks to seize AI memory pricing power
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
三星電子 has quoted $4 per Gb for 2027 HBM4, more than 3 times the price of current HBM3E. Through its high-speed data transfer rate of 13 Gb per second, 三星 seeks to challenge SK海力士’s market leadership and turn the technology premium into profit growth amid tight supply and demand driven by expanding AI infrastructure investment.
Facts
三星 has quoted major customers $4 per Gb for 2027 HBM4 supplies.
三星HBM4 can reach data transfer speeds of up to 13 Gb per second.
三星HBM4 is quoted at more than 3 times the roughly $1.50 price of current HBM3E.
TrendForce forecasts that the average selling price of HBM will rise 121% in 2027 compared with this year.
三星HBM4 can consistently achieve data transfer speeds of 11.7 Gb per second.
美光 mentioned during a recent earnings call that HBM prices could rise sharply next year.
Musk's empire surged across the board this week, while his longtime partner suddenly announced they had been dumped.
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
特斯拉 delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, beating Wall Street expectations and driving its shares up 4.65% on Friday. In the same week, SpaceX Starship made its 14th test flight and entered orbit for the first time, Semi entered mass production, and Musk took charge of the Pentagon's Meridian program, but Zilis announced her breakup with Musk.
Facts
特斯拉 delivered 486,532 vehicles in the third quarter, beating the analyst consensus of 461,974. Shares closed up 4.65% on Friday at $370.59.
特斯拉 delivered about 22,000 more vehicles than it produced, largely clearing the roughly 50,000-unit excess inventory accumulated in the first quarter.
特斯拉 installed 13.7GWh of energy storage capacity, up 9.6% year over year.
The Semi electric truck officially entered mass production in Nevada on Sep. 24. Initial deliveries went to 百事, DHL and US Foods, and the dedicated factory has annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles.
特斯拉 announced on Sep. 29 that it had secured a new $30 billion credit facility, including $20 billion from 花旗, to scale up production of Cybercab, Optimus and Semi.
SpaceX Starship's 14th test flight entered Earth's orbit for the first time and deployed all 26 Starlink V3 satellites.
Musk was invited to co-lead the Pentagon's 120-day Meridian program alongside Palmer Luckey and Gingrich.
Zilis announced on X that Musk had unexpectedly broken up with her. The two have four children together.
Rate-hike expectations support the dollar; 摩根士丹利 turns bullish, sees DXY reaching 102 by year-end.
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
摩根士丹利 acknowledged that its earlier bearish dollar forecast was wrong, citing strength in the U.S. economy and growing rate-hike expectations, and raised its year-end DXY target to 102. 德國商業銀行 and 三菱日聯 also turned bullish on the dollar's near-term outlook, reflecting a global trend of funds flowing into dollar assets.
Facts
摩根士丹利's foreign-exchange strategy team publicly acknowledged its forecast was wrong and raised its target for the U.S. dollar index.
摩根士丹利 raised its year-end forecast for the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) to 102 from 96.
Markets see a 68.6% chance that the Fed will raise rates by 1 tick at its October meeting.
德國商業銀行 lowered its year-end euro-dollar forecast to 1.15 from 1.17.
三菱日聯 forecasts that the dollar index will fall 4.2% from its level at the time of the report by the second quarter of 2027.
摩根士丹利 recommends establishing a long position in the dollar against the yen at 158, with a target of 163 yen.
President Trump publicly expressed concern about the excessive depreciation of the yen.
美光 steps up investment in Taiwan, economic indicator posts 9 straight red readings, 亞馬遜 joins 金像電 private placement: This week's roundup.
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
美光 announced increased investment in Taiwan to expand HBM capacity; 國發會's August economic indicator posted 9 consecutive red readings; 金像電 secured 亞馬遜's participation in a private placement; the September manufacturing PMI hit a 5-year high; and labor funds earned more than NT$2.3 trillion in the first 8 months.
Facts
金像電 issued about 1,856 privately placed shares in a capital increase, raising a total of NT$1.589 billion, with 亞馬遜 participating in the placement.
Taiwan's manufacturing PMI stood at 63.4% in September, its highest level since August 2021.
4 companies under 台塑集團 and 中華化 formed 台塑中華先進化學股份有限公司, with total capital set at NT$6 billion.
勞動基金運用局 reported that total labor fund earnings stood at NT$2.3227 trillion as of the end of August, for a return of 29.45%.
Hot Stocks: 立碁's 1.6T optical transceiver module push pays off; Q4 outlook bright, shares rise 12.3% for the week to a new swing high.
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
LED packaging maker 立碁 hit a new swing high on its development of 1.6T/3.2T silicon photonics modules and a Q4 operating recovery, with both profits and revenue expected to grow.
Facts
立碁(8111-TW) is actively expanding into silicon photonics and targeting high-end 1.6T and 3.2T optical transceiver modules.
立碁 is skipping the single-channel 100G solution and targeting single-channel 200G technology directly.
1.6T optical modules are priced at a thousand dollars or more, with gross margins expected to start at 40%.
立碁's infrared products target resolutions of 5 million and 8 million pixels or higher.
晟銘電 is focusing on high-margin rack business, with L11 revenue share rising to 18%. 輝達's VR200 enters mass production in the fourth quarter, bolstering the outlook as shares gain nearly 1-tenth.
Facts
晟銘電's L11 system integration business accounted for 18% of revenue in the first 8 months of this year.
晟銘電 shares rose 9.7% this week.
晟銘電 closed at NT$92.7 on Friday.
晟銘電 shifted 8 to 9 tenths of its ODM projects from chassis to rack business this year.
晟銘電 has completed chassis molds for standard products including 輝達's GB300 and VR200.
Institutional investors collectively sold 1,489 lots of 晟銘電 shares this quarter.
東芝 plans to double HDD capacity; 希捷 and 威騰 shares both plunge more than 10%.
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 鉅亨網
東芝 announced a $380 million investment to expand its hard-drive plant in the Philippines, aiming to increase capacity to 2 times its current level in fiscal 2027 to meet demand from AI and cloud data centers. The move sent 希捷 and 威騰 shares sharply lower, as markets assessed the impact on supply chains and contracts.
Facts
東芝 plans to invest $380 million to expand its hard-drive production facilities in the Philippines, increasing capacity for data-center drives to 2 times its current level.
東芝 aims to bring annual capacity, measured by storage capacity, to nearly 2 times its fiscal 2025 level in fiscal 2027.
News of 東芝's capacity expansion sent 希捷科技 shares plunging 10.21% and 威騰電子 shares plunging 10%.
Analysts said the expansion remains constrained by upstream supply capacity and construction timelines, while long-term contracts could help reduce the short-term impact.
東芝 has started production of nearline hard drives at its expanded production line and completed its first shipment.
The 內政部消防署 issued a major fire alert for a residential complex on 聯興路 in Hsinchu City's North District, urging the public to stay away from the alert area and not to gather to watch.
Due to emergency repairs for a leak in a 100mm PVC pipe in front of No. 230, 溪心路, Dongshan Township, 台灣自來水公司 issued a water outage notice for 丸山村 and 順安村 in Yilan County's Dongshan Township.
台灣自來水公司 issued a water outage alert for 坪頂里 in Zhushan Township, Nantou County, due to equipment repairs. The outage is scheduled from 11:40 to 19:00 on Oct. 3, 2026.
台灣自來水公司 issued an updated water outage notice for 光明里 and 科園里 in Hsinchu City's East District due to emergency repairs at No. 3, 大學路. The outage is scheduled from 11:14 to 16:00 on Oct. 3, 2026.
Huoshan Reservoir (discharge to Beigang River): Free Overflow (Yunlin County, Chiayi County)
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 國家災害防救科技中心
水利署 issued an updated notice on free overflow from Hushan Reservoir into Beigang River, affecting multiple towns and cities in Yunlin County and Chiayi County. Residents along the river are urged to be careful and stay away from the riverbed.
Baoshan No. 2 Reservoir (discharge to Shijing River): Free Overflow (Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County)
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 國家災害防救科技中心
水利署 issued a notice that Baoshan Second Reservoir is freely overflowing, affecting Baoshan Township and Emei Township in Hsinchu County, as well as the East, North and Xiangshan districts of Hsinchu City. Residents are urged to take note and stay away from riverbeds.
台灣自來水公司 issued a water outage alert for Zhanghe Village in Nantou City, Nantou County, due to emergency repairs to a burst pipe on Xinghe Lane. The outage is scheduled from 10:48 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 3, 2026.
台灣自來水公司 carried out a water outage in parts of Gangshan and Yanchao districts in Kaohsiung City on Oct. 3, 2026, for emergency repairs on Zhongxi Road in Yanchao District.
台灣自來水公司 carried out a water outage and reduced water pressure from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 3 for emergency repairs to a road leak in East District, Tainan City.
Emergency repairs to a road leak on Wufei Street in West Central District, Tainan City, caused a partial water outage and reduced water pressure in the area.
A burst pipe at No. 26, Lane 89, Section 1, Youyuan Road, in Dadu District required repairs by 台灣自來水公司, causing a water outage in Ruijing Village, Dadu District, Taichung City.
台灣自來水公司 issued a water outage alert for Shiqiu Village in Renai District, Keelung City, due to emergency repairs to a leak at No. 68, Lane 169, Shiqiu Road. The outage is scheduled from 09:18 to 13:00 on Oct. 3, 2026.
台灣自來水公司 carried out a water outage in Liming Village, Taishan District, New Taipei City, from 8:40 to 16:00 on Oct. 3, 2026, for a pipeline replacement project on Lane 168, Section 3, Tailin Road.
台灣自來水公司 issued a water outage alert for Danfeng Village in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, due to emergency repairs to a burst pipe. The outage is scheduled from 08:14 to 14:30 on Oct. 3, 2026.
Beaten by Indian boxer, Chen Nien-chin wins silver and embraces opponent: “Rivals in the ring, friends outside it”
Published ・ Source Taiwan | 公視新聞
Taiwanese boxer Chen Nien-chin narrowly lost to Indian boxer Parveen by 2-3, with a one-vote difference, in the Asian Games women's 65-kilogram gold-medal bout, earning silver. After the match, she embraced her opponent in a show of sportsmanship and said she would use this as a stepping stone as she prepares for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.