Silicon wafer makers in Taiwan are rallying as chipmakers push through price increases across all wafer sizes — good news for wafer suppliers and their shareholders, bad news for chip customers facing higher costs.

• Taisilicon (台勝科) hit its daily limit up and stayed locked there, with heavy buy orders waiting unfilled.
• The whole silicon wafer group climbed after full-size wafer price hikes kicked in.
• GlobalWafers chair Doris Hsu confirmed both spot and long-term contract prices are rising.
• Taisilicon has already started talking to customers about raising prices, blaming higher costs and strong demand.
• Foreign investors and dealers were net sellers late last week, with only local funds buying — so the surge caught the big money leaning the wrong way.

Outlook: Wafer makers expect a stronger second half than first half, and the price hikes should keep lifting the group in the near term.