Taiwan's trade hit record highs in the second quarter as AI demand kept booming, good news for its tech industry and its banks.

• Exports and imports both hit all-time quarterly records, powered by demand for AI gear.
• The trade surplus grew but did not set a record, because factories are buying huge amounts of foreign equipment and parts to expand AI production.
• Taiwan's banks and brokers earned record money selling cross-border services, as local companies build more operations abroad.
• Foreign investors nearly stopped pulling money out of Taiwanese stocks, a sharp turnaround from the previous two quarters.
• Money still flowed out of the country overall for the 64th quarter in a row, the longest such streak on record.

Outlook: As long as AI orders hold up, Taiwan's trade should stay strong, though imports of equipment will keep eating into the surplus.