The TAIEX, Taiwan’s benchmark stock index, fell 134 points, or 0.3%, to 40,051 in morning trade on Tuesday, halting gains from the previous session, as traders took profits after the index hit a record high on Monday amid optimism over AI infrastructure demand. Losses in electronic technology and technology services stocks mainly drove the decline. A downbeat session on Wall Street overnight also pressured sentiment, amid worries that higher oil prices could fuel inflation following a new escalation in the Middle East. However, the index remained above the 40,000 level after surging 4.6% on Monday, closing above the 40,000-point mark for the first time, at 40,705, led by large-cap semiconductor stocks. Contract chipmaker TSMC, which accounts for more than 40% of total market value, fell 1.3% after jumping in the previous session. Other early losers included Delta Electronics (-2.2%), Unimicron Tech (-1.1%), and International Games System (-0.7%).