Taiwan's stock market bounced back hard in August, pushing the government's take from share trading to its highest-ever level for the month — good news for the treasury and for investors who stayed in.

• Taiwan's benchmark index jumped about 7% in August after a rough July, driven by AI supply-chain companies and big-cap stocks.
• Share trading tax roughly doubled from a year earlier and has now grown for 13 straight months.
• The first eight months brought in far more than last year, setting a record for the period.
• Trading volume is actually cooling — daily turnover fell for a second month in a row, so prices rose on thinner activity.
• Middle East tensions, oil prices, US bond yields and expectations for Fed policy are all weighing on how much people trade.

Outlook: September turnover is running slightly below August, so the tax windfall may ease even if the index holds up.