Taiwan brokerage account holders hit record 14.6 million in July

Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) The number of people with brokerage accounts in Taiwan rose by nearly 119,000 in July to a record 14.61 million, with investors aged 19 and under accounting for the largest increase.

According to the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), brokerage account holders reached 14,606,821 at the end of July, up 118,840 from a month earlier, despite sharp market swings and an overall decline in Taiwan's benchmark stock index that month.

Account holders aged 19 and under rose by 43,116 to 828,674, while those aged 20-30 recorded the second-largest gain, rising by 32,813 to 1,886,864.

Together, the two age groups accounted for 63.89 percent of the monthly increase, the TWSE said.

Among other age groups, the number of account holders aged 31-40 increased by 15,172 to 2,373,019, while the 41-50 group grew by 14,395 to 2,718,750.

Account holders aged 51-60 rose by 8,296 to 2,405,868, while those aged 61 and over increased by 3,355 to 4,277,195, remaining the largest group overall.

The number of institutional holders, meanwhile, increased by 1,693 to 116,451.

The rise in participation came during a turbulent month for Taiwan shares. The benchmark Taiex posted several intraday and closing swings of more than 1,000 points and at one point suffered a single-day decline exceeding 2,000 points.

On July 31, the index rebounded by 3,186.45 points, the largest single-day point gain in its history.

The rally, however, was not enough to erase earlier losses, leaving the Taiex down 3,006.16 points for July, its second-largest monthly point decline on record.