Asian stock markets experienced a significant downturn on October 13, 2026, following a selloff of semiconductor stocks on Wall Street. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index recorded its sixth consecutive decline, dropping approximately 1.5% in a single session.
South Korea's Kospi index fell by 7% during intraday trading, eventually closing down by approximately 5.5%. This drop brought the index to its lowest level since late July 2026. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which represent nearly half of the Kospi's market capitalization, saw their share prices fall by 7–10%.
Foreign investors offloaded more than $6.3 billion in Kospi shares throughout October 2026. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index declined by more than 2–3%, also driven by losses in chip-related companies.
Market sentiment was negatively impacted by US consumer price index data, which indicated higher-than-expected inflation and raised concerns regarding potential interest rate hikes. Additionally, investors expressed caution over the funding of AI infrastructure following weakness in CoreWeave bonds and increased competition from Chinese firms.
