KOSPI Slides to 5,500 as AI Doubts Trigger Leveraged ETF Selling
Updated
Updated · Noahpinion · Aug 1
KOSPI Slides to 5,500 as AI Doubts Trigger Leveraged ETF Selling
3 articles · Updated · Noahpinion · Aug 1
Summary
South Korea’s stock rout has driven the KOSPI from above 9,000 in March to around 5,500, extending a decline that began in late June.
AI-boom skepticism appears to have hit memory-chip leaders first: SK Hynix and Samsung had surged on data-center demand, but investors are now questioning whether AI revenues can justify massive capacity spending.
Leveraged single-stock ETFs and margin borrowing amplified the reversal, forcing sales as prices fell and triggering more selling through rebalancing and margin calls.
Foreign investors had already been taking profits, while Korean retail traders were among the most aggressive buyers during the run-up, leaving the market vulnerable once fresh borrowing slowed.
The selloff fits a broader turn in AI-linked assets, with emerging markets and major US tech names also under pressure as investors reassess returns on hundreds of billions in AI capex.
How will Nvidia secure a $250 billion financing deal for an unprofitable AI company on a former Cold War nuclear site?
Can a repurposed uranium plant truly generate the 10 gigawatts of power needed to sustain America's next-generation AI ambitions?
What happens if the AI bubble bursts before this $500 billion government-backed mega-campus in Ohio is even completed?
The $500 Billion AI Gamble: Inside Nvidia’s Historic Financial Guarantee for OpenAI’s 10-Gigawatt Ohio Mega-Campus
Overview
The $500 billion Pike County AI mega-campus in Ohio is a landmark project shaped by global politics, federal strategy, and fierce tech competition. Enabled by the U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement, Japan is investing billions to power the site, while the U.S. government controls energy allocation, making it a battleground for AI giants like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. OpenAI, lacking strong credit, relies on Nvidia’s unprecedented $250 billion financial guarantee, which allows SoftBank’s SB Energy to secure favorable construction loans. This circular financing model, where Nvidia backs OpenAI to buy Nvidia’s own chips, has drawn sharp criticism for its systemic risks and market volatility.