Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 26
AI Stocks Slide as Nasdaq Drops 1.2% and Kospi Sinks 5.8% on Valuation Strain
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 26

AI Stocks Slide as Nasdaq Drops 1.2% and Kospi Sinks 5.8% on Valuation Strain

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 26

Summary

  • The Nasdaq was set to fall another 1.2% Friday after South Korea’s Kospi dropped 5.8% and triggered a 20-minute trading halt, extending a weeklong AI-led tech sell-off.
  • Years of AI-driven gains are being challenged because valuations ran ahead of profits, while companies are still spending and borrowing tens of billions to build capacity.
  • Chip shortages have split the sector: Microsoft and Meta are down about 20% from their peaks, Apple fell more than 6% after raising device prices, while Micron jumped nearly 16% on strong semiconductor demand.
  • That volatility is already affecting deal appetite, with the New York Times reporting OpenAI is considering delaying its IPO because markets may not support its targeted $1 trillion valuation.
  • The broader risk is that higher bond yields and possible Federal Reserve rate hikes could deepen pressure on tech, even as non-tech sectors have helped keep the S&P 500 within just over 3% of its record.

Insights

Is the Kospi's 6% crash a market correction, or has the trillion-dollar AI chip party finally come to an end?
As China's tech competition grows, is South Korea's deep reliance on chip exports becoming its greatest economic vulnerability?
With public trust in AI declining, how can chip giants justify their colossal investments to a suddenly skeptical world?