Semiconductor 30 Index Futures Margin & Contract Specifications

What Is the Semiconductor 30 Index Futures?

The Taiwan Semiconductor 30 Index Futures (commonly known as Semiconductor 30 Futures) are financial derivative products launched by the Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX). The underlying index is the Taiwan Index Plus Taiwan All-Market Semiconductor Select 30 Index, which selects the top 30 semiconductor stocks by market capitalization from companies listed on the TWSE and TPEx.

The index is designed with weighting caps to enhance diversification and reduce concentration risk: the maximum weight of any single constituent is capped at 30%, and the combined weight of the top five constituents is capped at 60%, helping to prevent excessive influence from any single company.

Semiconductor 30 Futures are classified as small-sized contracts, with relatively low trading thresholds, making them suitable for investors who want to participate in semiconductor industry volatility but have limited capital.

Factors Affecting the Semiconductor 30 Index Futures

1. Global Macroeconomic Conditions and Monetary Policy

• Interest Rate Policy: Semiconductor stocks are part of the technology sector and are highly sensitive to interest rates. As a result, U.S. interest rates and Federal Reserve (Fed) policy play a key role in driving Semiconductor 30 futures prices. When the Fed raises rates, higher funding costs put pressure on high-valuation technology stocks; conversely, rate cuts support valuation recovery and help drive price gains.
• Exchange Rate Movements (USD/TWD): The semiconductor industry is export-oriented, with revenues largely in U.S. dollars and costs primarily in New Taiwan dollars. A weaker TWD generally benefits gross margins and foreign exchange gains. However, if depreciation is too rapid and triggers foreign capital outflows, equity prices may fall, weighing on the index.

2. Semiconductor Industry Fundamentals

The semiconductor industry exhibits a clear 3–4 year cycle. Key indicators to monitor include inventory turnover (whether inventories are excessive), capacity utilization, and demand trends in major application areas—such as AI servers and high-performance computing, smartphones and other consumer electronics, PC/NB replacement cycles and sales data, and the impact of electric vehicle adoption on demand for automotive chips.

3. International Technology Equity Markets

Many Taiwanese electronics companies are part of the supply chains of major U.S. technology firms such as Apple, NVIDIA, and AMD, resulting in a strong correlation with U.S. technology indices.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) is widely viewed as a global barometer for the semiconductor industry, and TSMC ADR is one of its constituents. Typically, strength in U.S. semiconductor stocks leads to gains in Taiwan’s Semiconductor 30 futures on the following trading day. The Nasdaq Index reflects global risk appetite for technology stocks; when it rises, foreign investors often increase allocations to Taiwanese tech stocks, supporting futures prices.

4. Earnings of Taiwanese and U.S. Technology Leaders

Earnings results and guidance from U.S. AI leaders can directly affect Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain stocks. For example, when NVIDIA reports earnings above market expectations, Taiwanese semiconductor stocks often rally.
Similarly, quarterly earnings calls and outlooks from TSMC and MediaTek can trigger significant swings in the Semiconductor 30 Index, thereby influencing futures prices.

5. Foreign and Institutional Investor Net Buying or Selling

Taiwan semiconductor stocks are largely large-cap, index-heavyweight names. Capital flows from foreign investors—whether inflows or outflows—have a decisive impact on index pricing. When foreign investors sell Taiwanese equities due to global risk-off sentiment, technology stocks often suffer the largest declines, and the Semiconductor 30 Index is correspondingly affected.

6. Geopolitics and Supply Chains

Geopolitical developments influence not only fundamentals but also risk premiums. Rising cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan can increase market concerns, alter foreign investors’ risk assessments of Taiwanese semiconductor stocks, and potentially trigger capital outflows—leading to declines in Semiconductor 30 futures prices.

7. Tariff Policies

Tariff policies are another important factor. For instance, if the United States imposes high tariffs on imported chips, this would directly impact orders and long-term growth prospects for affected companies, compress Taiwan’s semiconductor export margins, and potentially trigger heavy selling pressure in Semiconductor 30 futures.

Taiwan Semiconductor 30 Futures Margin

How much money is needed to trade futures? At the beginning, the required margin is the initial margin. While holding a position, the margin after deducting floating profits and losses must remain above the maintenance margin; otherwise, a margin call will be issued. For day-trading margin, only half of the margin is required, provided the position is closed before the market closes.

Domestic Futures

Taiwan Semiconductor 30 Futures Contract Specifications

Here is a summary for traders of the contract specifications, exchange, trading hours, minimum price fluctuation, and available trading months for Taiwan Semiconductor 30 FuturesFutures.

Taiwan Semiconductor 30 FuturesLast Trading Day

Futures