Triggers Circuit

• South Korea's KOSPI index triggered a circuit breaker as a significant selloff in AI-driven technology stocks swept across Asian markets. • Key industry players were impacted, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing slipping about 2% and Foxconn Technology Co Ltd easing roughly 1.6%. • The volatility follows preliminary earnings from Samsung Electronics, which failed to convince investors that memory-chip profits can sustain the massive capital spending required for AI.

• Asian stock markets tumbled as a sharp selloff in AI and semiconductor trades hit the region, specifically hammering South Korea's KOSPI index. • The volatility was severe enough to trigger a circuit breaker in South Korea, reflecting a rapid unwinding of crowded trades that had driven performance through much of 2026. • This downturn impacts key memory-chip makers and Samsung Electronics, which had previously seen massive inflows from foreign investors due to the demand for AI servers and data centers.

• South Korea's KOSPI index plunged 8% on Monday, triggering a 20-minute circuit breaker halt to stabilize the market. • The crash was driven by a broader US semiconductor selloff, causing major tech giants Samsung and SK Hynix to drop 10%. • This volatility highlights the sensitivity of Asian equities to US tech trends, though Bitcoin remained relatively stable near $63,000.