TAIPEI: Taiwan stocks fell on Friday, as steep declines on Wall Street and tech shares in particular hit Asian markets.
As of 0159 GMT, the main TAIEX index fell 1.8 percent, to 7,887.97, after closing up 0.1 percent, at 8,029.81, in the previous session.
Continued signs of a slowdown in China are sparking selloffs in markets worldwide, including a 2 percent drop in the Dow Jones and a 2.82 percent stumble in the Nasdaq.
Tech industry bellwether Apple Inc dropped 2 percent overnight Thursday, a worrying signal for its vast Asian supply chain.
Adding to concerns, Taiwan’s export orders contracted by a wider-than-expected margin in July, data released on Thursday showed.
The electronics subindex sank 1.9 percent, while the financials subindex lost 2.0 percent.
Semiconductors slid 2.2 percent, while optoelectronics suffered a 2.94 percent drop.
