Taiwan stocks flat

Taiwan stocks ended down 0.02 percent in light trading on Thursday as investors remained sidelined amid a tight race for the island's presidential vote on Saturday. The main TAIEX index inched 1.63 points lower at 7,186.58, after rising in the last two sessions. The biggest winning sector was tourism, up 1.82 percent, while the largest decliner was department stores, down 2.41 percent.
The Taiwan dollar recovered from earlier losses to stand at T$29.957. Foreign investors were net buyers on Wednesday, bringing their total buying to T$11.85 billion this month. Taiwan holds presidential elections on January 14 in a vote that will determine whether the island deepens economic integration with mainland China or embarks on a period of more tense and possibly fractious relations.