Taiwan's trade surplus swelled to its third-biggest ever as the world's AI buildout pulls in Taiwanese chips and gear — good news for Taiwan's exporters and its currency.

• Taiwan's current account surplus hit $58 billion last quarter, behind only the two quarters before it.
• Goods exports topped $200 billion for the first time as Taiwan sits at the center of global AI hardware.
• Financial services exports also set a record, riding the same AI money flows.
• Taiwanese tech firms are pouring over $10 billion a quarter into factories abroad to keep up with AI demand.
• Foreign investors pulled far less money out than earlier in the year, easing pressure on the Taiwan dollar.

Outlook: As long as AI spending holds up, Taiwan's surpluses should stay large, with money continuing to flow out into overseas investments the way it does for Japan, South Korea and Germany.