{"id":58940,"date":"2026-02-22T22:08:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T02:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-taiwan-hits-record-high-as-gold-surges-past-5100-amid-geopolitical-tensions\/58940\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T22:08:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T02:08:27","slug":"global-markets-taiwan-hits-record-high-as-gold-surges-past-5100-amid-geopolitical-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-taiwan-hits-record-high-as-gold-surges-past-5100-amid-geopolitical-tensions\/58940\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets: Taiwan Hits Record High as Gold Surges Past $5,100 Amid Geopolitical Tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Taiwan\u2019s benchmark index reached a historic record of 34,202.05 points<\/strong>, gaining <strong>1.8%<\/strong> in a single session.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/gold-price.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"gold price today\">Gold prices<\/a> surged over 1% to reach $5,164.98 per ounce<\/strong>, while <strong>Spot <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/metal\/silver-price.aspx\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"silver price today\">Silver<\/a> climbed more than 3% to $87.49<\/strong>, reflecting a massive flight to safe-haven assets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bitcoin (BTC) slipped 5% to fall below the $65,000 threshold<\/strong>, as investors rotated capital out of volatile digital assets and into precious metals.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Russia launched a significant missile and drone offensive<\/strong> targeting Ukraine\u2019s energy infrastructure, causing widespread damage to the power grid.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Major travel disruptions emerged<\/strong> as Delta Air Lines (<a href=\"\/stock\/DAL\">DAL<\/a>) faced system-wide kiosk failures and Air Canada (<a href=\"\/stock\/AC.TO\">AC.TO<\/a>) suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Asian Markets Hit Record Peaks<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Taiwan benchmark index<\/strong> surged to an all-time high on February 23, 2026, gaining <strong>1.8%<\/strong> to close at <strong>34,202.05 points<\/strong>. This rally was mirrored in Hong Kong, where the <strong>Hang Seng Index<\/strong> gained over <strong>2%<\/strong>. <em>Market sentiment in Asia remains robust despite global geopolitical friction, driven largely by gains in the technology and industrial sectors.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Within the Hong Kong market, the <strong>Hang Seng Tech Index<\/strong> rose <strong>3%<\/strong>, while the <strong>Hang Seng Materials Index<\/strong> outperformed with a <strong>4%<\/strong> jump. Individual movers included CK Hutchison (<a href=\"\/stock\/0001.HK\">0001.HK<\/a>), which saw its shares gain more than <strong>2%<\/strong>. The <strong>Hang Seng Automobile Index<\/strong> also posted a solid <strong>2%<\/strong> gain, signaling broad-based strength across the region\u2019s largest listed companies.<\/p>\n<h2>Precious Metals Surge as Bitcoin Falters<\/h2>\n<p>In a dramatic shift for the commodities market, <strong>Gold prices climbed over 1%<\/strong> to reach a staggering <strong>$5,164.98 per ounce<\/strong>. <strong>Spot Silver<\/strong> followed suit, jumping more than <strong>3%<\/strong> to trade at <strong>$87.49 per ounce<\/strong>. <em>Analysts suggest that the rapid escalation of geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East is driving institutional demand for physical bullion.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Conversely, the cryptocurrency market faced significant selling pressure. <strong>Bitcoin slipped 5%<\/strong>, dropping below the <strong>$65,000<\/strong> mark. <em>The divergence between &quot;digital gold&quot; and physical gold suggests a temporary cooling of risk appetite in the crypto space as investors seek the perceived stability of traditional hard assets.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Geopolitical Tensions and Regional Stability<\/h2>\n<p>Geopolitical risks intensified as Kyiv reported a massive wave of <strong>Russian missile and drone attacks<\/strong> specifically targeting Ukraine\u2019s <strong>energy facilities<\/strong>. This latest offensive has reportedly caused significant damage to the national power grid, further straining the region&#39;s infrastructure during the winter months.<\/p>\n<p>In the Middle East, the <strong>Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry<\/strong> issued a stern call for <strong>Iraq to uphold Kuwait\u2019s sovereign rights<\/strong> and adhere to all existing international agreements. The ministry emphasized that Iraq must respect its commitments, particularly regarding maritime boundaries and sovereign rights, to maintain regional stability.<\/p>\n<h2>Travel and Infrastructure Disruptions<\/h2>\n<p>The travel sector is grappling with both technical and security-related challenges. Delta Air Lines (<a href=\"\/stock\/DAL\">DAL<\/a>) reported <strong>system issues affecting check-in kiosks<\/strong>, leading to significant delays at several major hubs. While no cancellations have been officially reported due to the glitch, the technical failure has caused widespread frustration for travelers.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Air Canada (<a href=\"\/stock\/AC.TO\">AC.TO<\/a>) announced that flights to <strong>Puerto Vallarta<\/strong> will not operate tomorrow. This suspension follows reports of a deteriorating security situation in the region. Additionally, in the fixed-income market, the <strong>South Korean central bank<\/strong> sold <strong>91-day monetary stabilization bonds<\/strong> at a yield of <strong>2.505%<\/strong>, as regional authorities move to manage liquidity amid the shifting global economic landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Taiwan\u2019s benchmark index reached a historic record of 34,202.05 points, gaining 1.8% in a single session. Gold prices [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5012],"tags":[10829,483,16728,1684,3733,3734,4824,5158,6160,7409,8888],"class_list":["post-58940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","tag-ac-to","tag-dal","tag-0001-hk","tag-gold","tag-bitcoin","tag-btc","tag-geopolitics","tag-taiwan","tag-delta-air-lines","tag-hang-seng","tag-air-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}