The Taiwan stock exchange's benchmark index closed below the 9,000-point mark Wednesday, led by the bellwether electronics sector, after Wall Street plunged overnight.
Despite the announcement of measures to boost margin trading and short selling, turnover was relatively low as cautious investors limited their trades ahead of the third-quarter earnings season in both Taiwan and the United States.
The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange ended down 85.63 points, or 0.94 percent, at the day's low of 8,955.18.