Taiwan Shuts Stock Exchange, Schools and Offices Friday as Typhoon Champi Approaches

Since Champi peaked at 185 mph earlier this week and became one of the strongest storms of 2026, the story has moved from a distant monster to a direct threat. Taiwan is now shutting down in advance.

The Taiwan Stock Exchange will suspend trading Friday, Oct. 23. Settlements scheduled for that day will be pushed to the next business day, the exchange said. The over-the-counter market is also closed. Taipei, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung announced work and class suspensions in a government notice.

The exchange is the fifth-largest in the world, with a market capitalization above $5 trillion. It is also closed Monday for a holiday. Unless another closure is announced, the next trading session would be Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Market already under pressure

The closure lands on a shaky stretch. Taiwan's tech-heavy market, along with South Korea and Japan, has sold off in recent sessions as investors weigh earnings from global tech giants. The Taiwan dollar also weakened this week on foreign capital outflows.

No source ties those moves to the storm. The typhoon simply adds a long gap in trading to a market that was already moving.

The suspension follows the exchange's standing rules, which allow a halt when Taipei closes government offices during trading hours.

What the storm is doing

Champi has weakened from super typhoon strength. The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center put top sustained winds at 213 km/h (132 mph), Category 4 equivalent, earlier in the day. A later reading cited by Bloomberg early Friday local time had them at 176 km/h (109 mph), Category 2 equivalent, with the storm less than 500 km southeast of Taoyuan International Airport.

Taiwan's Central Weather Administration measured gusts above 227 km/h near the center. It issued a land warning Thursday and sent mobile phone alerts to coastal towns about waves exceeding six meters. Rainfall approaching one meter is forecast for northern mountain areas, including hills near Taipei.

The storm is forecast to pass closest to northern Taiwan late Friday into Saturday. Forecasters say its impact could last nearly two days.

President Lai Ching-te urged residents to avoid mountains and coastlines. "A little more preparation means less risk," he wrote on Facebook. The interior ministry said no evacuations had been reported as of Thursday.

Flights and shipping

Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration said 126 domestic flights and 40 international and cross-strait flights had been canceled as of 6 p.m. local time Thursday. The transport ministry separately put Thursday's cancellations at 125, mostly domestic. Rail service was unaffected.

In Japan, Japan Airlines, ANA and Skymark canceled more than 100 flights between Thursday and Sunday, disrupting travel for more than 11,000 passengers. Champi is forecast to cross Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost inhabited island, before heading toward Kyushu.

Ports have restricted vessel movements, and Quantum Commodity Intelligence reported the storm threatens delays to regional oil shipping.

Track still uncertain

The forecast models disagree. AI-based models keep the typhoon offshore of Taiwan. Many physics-based models show a brief landfall over the island's north, according to James Caron, director of meteorological operations for North America and Asia at Atmospheric G2. He said that should be resolved within about 24 hours.

Caron said the main danger is rain, not wind. In late October the northeast monsoon is already in place, and a passing typhoon pulls that flow into Taiwan's terrain. That could drop as much as 18 inches (457 mm) on greater Taipei and risk catastrophic flash floods and landslides.

"The 185 miles per hour peak is behind us," Caron said. "The risks that matter now are rain and the size of the wind field, not peak wind."

Beyond Taiwan

Champi is forecast to keep typhoon intensity as it brushes China's eastern coast over the weekend. The China Meteorological Administration expects heavy rain in Shanghai and parts of Zhejiang province, and has warned of farmland waterlogging.

Champi is the 10th storm in the northwest Pacific to reach super typhoon strength this season, double the long-term average, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. The record is 13, set in 2015, also an El Niño year. Caron called El Niño the main driver: storms form farther east and have more time over warm open water to build energy.

The open question is the track. If the physics-based models are right, northern Taiwan takes a landfall in the next day. If the AI models are right, the island takes the rain and wind without a direct hit. Either way, the exchange will not reopen before Tuesday, Oct. 27.