Taiwan stocks fell 0.6 percent on Tuesday as investors sold some China plays amid fears the shares had risen too quickly, but tech shares including Mediatek Inc gained on hopes of rising August sales. The main TAIEX shares index ended down 56.98 points at 8,922.98.
Softer turnover of T$135.04 billion ($4.1 billion) reflected lingering worries over the US credit market. "China plays had risen a lot recently and investors are turning cautious on them," said Jerry Chang, a portfolio manager at National Investment Trust.
Among big losers, Synnex Technology, the island's top electronics distributor and a seller in China, dropped 4.6 percent after suring to a more than seven-year high last week. On the bright side, chip designer Mediatek rose 1.4 percent and smartphone maker High Tech Computer Corp jumped 0.9 percent. But the electronics sub-index fell 0.4 percent.
By September 10, major technology companies are due to report their August sales, which analysts say could be better than the previous month amid the annual peak export season. Fubon Financial shares jumped 1.1 percent after it won an exclusive right to sell tickets in the island's first sports lottery. But the broader banking and insurance sub-index fell 0.9 percent.
Qisda surged by its daily 7 percent limit after a local newspaper reported the branded business of Qisda, which uses the BenQ name, is expected to post strong revenue growth in the coming years. Asustek Computer gained 0.8 percent after giving upbeat sales and shipment forecasts for this year.