Taiwan’s top central banker has urged investors to steer clear of heavy borrowing to chase the island’s surging stock market, a rally powered by global demand for the AI hardware that Taiwanese firms supply.
Yang Chin-long, governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan), delivered the caution on Thursday while reporting to lawmakers, as debate over an overheating AI trade reaches Taipei.
“I can only say that we hope investors do not use excessive leverage in their investments,” Yang told the legislature’s Finance Committee, adding that the market as a whole rested on solid fundamentals.
His comments were more measured than the bubble talk circulating in global markets. Rather than declaring an AI bubble outright, Yang played down the idea that rising retail borrowing posed any immediate threat, saying the situation was far from signalling systemic risk.
The context is a remarkable run in Taipei. The benchmark Taiex has climbed around 60% since the start of the year, hitting a record 46,459 points on 3 June before slipping into a correction.
