Taiwan's stock market jumped to its second-highest close ever, good news for chip investors riding the AI boom.

• The Taiex rose 1.7% as buyers piled into big semiconductor names.
• TSMC did most of the heavy lifting, contributing about half the day's gain on its own.
• Smaller chip firms ran hotter — United Microelectronics hit its daily limit up after strong August sales, and MediaTek jumped nearly 8%.
• Foreign investors were heavy net buyers, while banks, carmakers, and textile stocks were left behind.
• Largan Precision fell the maximum allowed after a European broker told clients to sell.

Outlook: Attention turns to US inflation data later this week, which will shape expectations for the Fed's next move and could cool the rally.