Vice Premier Eric Liluan Chu said Tuesday that the National Stabilization Fund (NSF) might completely withdraw from Taiwan's stock market next month and that the government will set a strict standard for the fund to enter the local stock market in the future. Chu said in a televised interview that he is optimistic about the outlook for the stock market, citing the fact that the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research recently revised upward its forecast for economic growth this year to 4.99 percent, compared to the government's growth forecast of at least 4.8 percent. In addition, the ample funds in the market, the signing of a proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, and an expected cut in corporate tax are all positive factors for the stock market, Chu added. He expressed confidence that the NSF will no longer be needed to stabilize the stock market as it did in late 2008 and early 2009. According to statistics, the NSF bought about NT$59.9 billion-worth of shares between late 2008 and early 2009, and has been gradually selling its holdings since the beginning of the year, he said. The pace of selling has been very slow, Chu went on, denying media reports that the government-run fund has sold NT$10 billion to NT$20 billion in a single day. The fund earned a profit of about NT$27 billion by selling more than two-thirds of the shares it bought during the 2008-2009 period, with the rate of returns estimated at over 60 percent, he said. He continued, however, that the fund was not aimed at making profits or long term investments and was required to withdraw from the stock market following a decision by the fund's management committee in January. Chu also pointed out that stricter standards will be applied for the fund to enter the stock market in the future and that it will not be allowed to buy shares when the TAIEX drops only 200 to 300 points, or to sell shares when it surges just 400 or 500 points. 