Small investment, odd-lot trading transactions hit new highs in 2025

Taipei, Jan. 24 (CNA) The transaction value of small investment programs and odd-lot trading in Taiwan hit new highs in 2025, according to the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE).

The TWSE, which operates Taiwan's main board, said small investment programs -- also known as dollar-cost averaging plans -- and odd-lot trading have served as twin engines of inclusive financing, significantly lowering the threshold for retail investors to access the capital market.

Since measures allowing retail investors to buy and sell stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through dollar-cost averaging mechanisms were introduced in 2017, investments made under dollar-cost averaging in Taiwan totaled NT$600 billion (US$18.99 billion) as of December 2025, the TWSE said.

In 2025 alone, the average monthly investment through dollar-cost averaging rose 25 percent from a year earlier, TWSE data showed.

Meanwhile, average daily transactions in odd-lot trading in 2025 reached NT$8.67 billion, up 41.54 percent from a year earlier and soared nearly 3,900 percent from October 2020, when such trading was first allowed before the market's close, the data indicated.

Before October 2020, odd-lot trading, which makes it easier for retail investors to buy high-priced stocks in smaller quantities, had been permitted only during after-hours sessions.

According to the TWSE, Taiwan's push for financial inclusion echoes the views of United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Health (UNSGSA) Queen Máxima, who has touted financial inclusion as a driver or accelerator of economic growth, job creation, and social development.

TWSE data showed that investors aged 21 to 50 were the largest group participating in dollar-cost averaging programs in 2025, accounting for more than 50 percent of total investments under the mechanism.

This suggests that younger generations are preparing for wealth management through long-term investing, the exchange said.

As for odd-lot trading, investors under 20 and those aged 21 to 30 made up 25.89 percent of participants, higher than the 16.35 percent share of the same age groups in non-odd-lot trading.

The TWSE said this indicates that odd-lot trading has helped facilitate smaller investors' participation in the capital market.