
Switzerland overtakes Singapore for second place in the 2026 Economic Freedom of the World report
AI-generated summary
The Economic Freedom of the World report is compiled annually by the Fraser Institute using historical data.
Hong Kong has retained its status as the world’s freest economy in the latest annual ranking by a top Canadian think tank, although its score has declined in recent years.
Switzerland overtook Singapore to claim second place, pushing the city state down to third in the rankings released on Tuesday by the Fraser Institute.
The 2026 Economic Freedom of the World report, compiled by the Vancouver-based public policy research organisation using data from 2024, ranked Hong Kong first among 165 jurisdictions.
Hong Kong lost the top spot for the first time in 2023, before reclaiming it in 2024 and retaining it in 2025.

HTC benefited from the expansion of AI glasses, and its revenue in September reached 339 million yuan, a monthly increase of approximately 37.8% and an annual increase of approximately 12.6%, setting a new revenue high in the past 17 months. Revenue in the third quarter was approximately 760 million yuan, a quarterly increase of approximately 24.63%.

Cathay Investment Bank held a press conference on its outlook for the fourth quarter of 2026 and pointed out that the global market is facing pressure from oil prices, inflation and interest rate increases, but the AI industry's capital expenditures are expanding, corporate profits are strong, and technology stocks are supported by fundamentals. Taiwan's economic growth rate for the year is expected to be 12%.

Acer Information announced September revenue of NT$1.53 billion, a monthly increase of 30.74% and an annual increase of 97.4%. In the third quarter, consolidated self-financed revenue reached NT$3.82 billion, an annual increase of 74%, a record high for both a single month and a single quarter, mainly driven by digital transformation and AI application demand.

Taiwan stocks hit another new closing high today, with the weighted index closing at 49,822.55 points. Actively unified Taiwan stock growth (00981A) backhandedly slashed 10 stocks today, almost out of Qingzhending-KY, Xinquan and Taiwan Watch Division, and overweighted Jinxiang Electronics, Taiyao and Creative.

Taiwan stocks approached a record high of 50,000 points, and foreign investors turned oversold. The exchange rate of the New Taiwan dollar against the U.S. dollar rose in early trading. In the afternoon, it fell below 31.8 yuan due to the shift of foreign hot money. In late trading, it held the price of 31.7 yuan under the adjustment of the central bank and closed at 31.781 yuan, marking the fifth consecutive red.

After the Guaiguai Zhongli Factory's enterprise union launched a strike that lasted for five days, under the witness of the Taoyuan City Government and the Taoyuan City Industry and Industry Association, they reached negotiations and signed an agreement with the employer, successfully fighting for severance compensation and a no-free-riding clause, and officially resumed work on the 7th.