The Taipei stock market experienced a remarkable surge of 5,104.29 in 2024, marking the largest annual gain in history and attracting a wave of new investors. According to the Taiwan Stock Exchange, the total number of trading accounts reached 13.216 million by December 2024, with a record-breaking increase of 703,800 new accounts throughout the year.
The growth exceeded previous years, with 493,100 new accounts in 2023 compared to just 11,000 in 2022. This surge in interest follows two consecutive years of nearly 30% market gains, which has ignited investor enthusiasm.
Investment age distribution data shows that individuals aged 20-30 opened the most new accounts, totaling 121,256. The 0-19 age group followed closely with 109,171 new accounts, demonstrating the strong engagement of young investors in the market.
Analysts attribute this growth to the Financial Supervisory Commission's initiatives promoting financial inclusion such as relaxed regulations on odd-lot trading to lower investment barriers. The rising popularity of ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) in Taiwan has also contributed significantly to this unprecedented growth in stock market participation.