Prior to this, foreign investors had held Taiwanese securities worth NT $ 5 trillion, or 25 % of the value of Taiwan's securities markets. The populace, which had pinned its hopes on the new administration taking office and turning around the political and economic situation, has been feeling trapped holding expensive shares they cannot sell, and complaints about economic policy have surfaced.
外資法人為挽救歐美母國企業，紛紛從亞洲新興市場撤退，大舉回流；以外資在台股市值高達 5 兆台幣（25 %）來看，至 9 月上旬的統計，外資賣超台股市值高達 3,000 億元，儼然將台股當成提款機。