Franklin FTSE Taiwan ETF

FLTW

Market cap $2.69B

Asian stocks rallied on Wednesday as investors returned to semiconductor shares after a bruising sell-off, taking their cue from a Wall Street rebound even as Brent crude pushed further above $91 a barrel. MSCI's Asia-Pacific gauge outside Japan gained 1.2%, while South Korea's Kospi surged more than 6% and Japan's Nikkei 225 climbed 1.9%.

When it comes to broad international equities exposure, the sum of the parts is traditionally greater than the whole. Today, however, single-country exposure is also proving that individual parts can deliver a whole lot of performance.

Of the two hottest Asian markets, strategists are more bullish about South Korea than Taiwan.

Taiwan is the world's most critical semiconductor manufacturing hub.

This story is part of Forbes' coverage of Taiwan's Richest 2026. See the full list here.

Taiwan-listed technology firm Ennoconn Corp said on Wednesday it ​has launched a takeover bid for Austria-based ‌Kontron , offering 23.50 euros per share to all its shareholders.

The top-performing non-leveraged ETFs of 2026 span a distinct blend of digital assets, next-generation semiconductor technology, and localized international equity plays. For advisors assessing portfolio allocations heading into the second half of the year, these performance figures highlight a sustained risk-on appetite among investors.

ETFs come into focus as SoftBank dethrones Toyota as Japan's most valuable company, driven by AI infrastructure spending.

Taiwan sent ships and fighter jets to monitor the second Chinese "joint combat readiness patrol" in a week near the island, as ​Taipei steps up its guard over Beijing's activities.

Asia's smaller companies have delivered stronger returns than the region's large-cap stocks over the past five years, while also offering lower volatility and broader sector exposure, according to HSBC Asset Management. The firm said Asia small-cap stocks outperformed their large-cap counterparts by nearly 3% annualised at the index level over the period.