AI boom pushes Taiwan past UK South Korea close behind
Thanks to the AI boom, Taiwan has shot past the UK and South Korea is close behind to become the hottest equity markets in the world.
In April 2026, Taiwan's stock market was valued at nearly $4.3 trillion and South Korea wasn't far behind at $4.16 trillion.
This surge comes from tech giants like TSMC, Samsung, and SK Hynix, major suppliers for AI leader NVIDIA, driving massive growth.
TSMC valued at $1.8 trillion
TSMC alone is valued at $1.8 trillion, while Samsung and SK Hynix together add up to $1.5 trillion.
Even with smaller economies than Europe, both countries are pulling in big investments thanks to their booming AI industries.
As Ian Samson, a portfolio manager at Fidelity International, put it, "Semiconductors are the new oil, driving the price-insensitive boom in AI investment and reflecting the oligopolistic nature of leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing."
Retail investors in South Korea have also fueled this rise, showing how tech is reshaping global markets.