Taipei:Taiwan's consumer confidence index (CCI) reached an 18-month high in September, with all six factors of the index showing improvement from the previous month amid the global AI boom, as reported by National Central University (NCU).
According to Focus Taiwan, the September CCI rose by 3.76 points from the previous month to 68.77, marking the highest level since March 2025, when it was 71.86. This data comes from the latest CCI survey conducted by NCU's Research Center for Taiwan Economic Development from September 18 to 21.
The CCI evaluates sentiment over the next six months across six factors consumer prices, the domestic economic climate, the stock market, durable goods purchases, employment prospects, and family finances. Notably, the stock market sub-index surged 7.7 points to 35.42, the highest level in almost a year. This increase is attributed to record highs in the local stock market.
Professor Yau Ruey of NCU's Department of Economics noted that despite earlier concerns about a potential slowdown in Taiwan's stock market, share prices have continued to rise. The strong global demand for AI applications has driven Taiwan's exports and export orders, boosting tech company stocks.
The domestic economic climate sub-index increased by 5.82 points to 87.02, while the family finances factor rose by 4.52 points to 82.64. Sub-indexes for employment, durable goods purchases, and consumer prices also saw gains, rising to 76.7, 93.78, and 37.05, respectively.
Despite these improvements, NCU stated that the CCI sub-indexes remain below the threshold for "optimism," which is defined as scores between 100 and 200. Scores below 100 indicate pessimism.
In addition, the home-buying index, compiled by NCU and Taiwan Realty, jumped 8.81 points month-on-month to 98.84, its highest since March 2025. This marks the second-largest increase for an individual month since the index's inception in April 2020.
Chou He-ming, first vice president of Taiwan Realty Estate, attributed the strong September home-buying index to the central bank's relaxation of loan restrictions in the property market. The central bank eased credit controls on second home purchases and removed construction deadlines for developers at its September 17 meeting. Additionally, it maintained interest rates unchanged for the 10th consecutive quarter, boosting residential market confidence.
The university's September CCI survey included 3,182 valid responses from Taiwanese consumers aged 20 and older, with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points.