Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties are clashing over a campaign promise to hand out cash, and the ruling party says it won't happen.

• The KMT has been telling voters locally that choosing the KMT gets them a NT$30,000 payout, while choosing the DPP only gets NT$10,000, a message the party calls highly effective and wants to push harder.
• The DPP's legislative caucus says this is an irresponsible campaign tactic, calling it political candy with no funding plan behind it, and insists the Cabinet will not agree to it.
• DPP lawmakers argue the opposition just talks about handouts without saying where the money comes from, then blames the government when it refuses to pay up.
• Separately, the DPP pointed to recent stock market swings, especially in AI and chip stocks, linking the volatility to uncertainty after US Democrats retook control of Congress and investors watch for new AI-related legislation.
• The DPP says the government's priority is to monitor whether trading is functioning normally and prepare measures to reassure investors, regardless of the election.

Outlook: Expect the cash handout dispute to keep heating up as an election approaches, with the DPP standing firm against the proposal while the KMT keeps using it as a campaign talking point.