Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) On the back of robust global demand for AI applications, Taiwan's manufacturing activity stayed in expansion mode for the 10th consecutive month in July, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER) said Monday. Bucking the uptrend, the non-manufacturing index (NMI) in the service sector fell 2.6 from a month earlier to 57.3 in July but stayed in expansion mode. In addition, the subindex on the business outlook over the next six months rose 0.3 from a month earlier to 64.5 in July, marking the seventh consecutive month the subindex has been above 60. Commenting on the July NMI, CIER said a July decline in equity prices from June highs spooked investor sentiment and weakened faith in wealth effects. Meanwhile, the subindex on the business outlook over the next six months in the July NMI also fell 4.6 from a month earlier to 58.9, according to CIER.