Taiwan's market swung from a sharp early drop to a strong close as foreign money flooded back in, good news for shipping, financial, and tech shareholders.

• The index fell more than 300 points early Friday, then reversed to close up about 290 points and back above 45,000.
• Foreign investors bought a net NT$28.3 billion, driving the rebound.
• Shipping line Yang Ming was the single biggest buy, its sixth straight day of foreign buying, and the stock jumped over 6% on heavy volume.
• Big banks and insurers were the other favorite, with five financial groups among the top buys, alongside rival shipper Wan Hai, steelmaker China Steel, and chipmaker Winbond.

Outlook: If foreign buying keeps up, shipping and financial stocks look set to stay in the lead near term.