Asian stock markets slide as chip sell-off triggers trading halt in South Korea
Major Asian stock exchanges experienced steep declines following reports of a potential technological breakthrough in Chinese semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Asian equity markets plummeted on Thursday as semiconductor stocks faced intense selling pressure, triggered by reports of a prospective technological breakthrough in Chinese chipmaking machinery.
South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index dropped by over 10 percent during trading, prompting a temporary 20-minute suspension of market transactions in Seoul. Major domestic memory chip manufacturers suffered significant losses. Meanwhile, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell by more than four percent, and Chinese equities touched a weekly low amid the regional downturn.
The market reaction reflects growing concerns among investors that emerging domestic machinery capabilities in China could intensify market competition for established Asian semiconductor suppliers.
Sources: Die Zeit, ORF.
How outlets assessed this
- FAZ Skeptical Framed the market reaction as a potential sign that the global artificial intelligence valuation bubble may be deflating.
Sources
Earlier coverage
- Jul 28, 2026, 03:30 PM UTCGlobal tech stocks slide as Chinese chip advances spark market concern
- Jul 28, 2026, 03:00 PM UTCAsian stock markets tumble after reported Chinese chipmaking breakthrough
- Jul 28, 2026, 08:00 AM UTCAsian stock markets plunge following reports of Chinese chip technology leap