Taiwan's most popular dividend ETF and the broader stock market both had a strong day, which is good news for the roughly 300,000 investors holding 00940 and for Taiwan stock investors generally.

The 00940 ETF, which has over 300,000 investors, went ex-dividend today with its highest-ever monthly payout. Thanks to a strong overall market and heavy buying, the fund's price jumped over 2.6% and fully closed its dividend gap within the same session — a sign investors are confident and cash reserves at the fund remain healthy for future payouts.

The broader Taiwan stock market surged alongside global tech gains, with the main index jumping over 2.8% and heavyweight stocks like TSMC, MediaTek, Foxconn, and Delta Electronics all rising sharply, some hitting daily limit-up. Japan's Nikkei and South Korea's KOSPI also rallied hard, with Korea briefly triggering trading circuit breakers due to the speed of the gains. Chip designer Alchip hit its daily limit-up on strong earnings outlooks, and fiberglass maker Fu Chow jumped over 8% on strong results.

Gold also ticked up as falling oil prices and a weaker dollar helped demand, though the Fed's inflation fight means interest rates could still pressure gold later. Not every stock joined the party — bike maker Giant posted weaker-than-expected profits due to rising costs and US import-related legal fees, and its stock fell, while memory maker ADATA abruptly canceled a planned stock buyback.

Outlook: With Taiwan and global tech stocks rallying hard, markets look set for continued short-term strength, though gold's path still depends on where the Fed takes interest rates next.