South Korean beauty and retail stocks led the market gains, and Gate.com continues to expand its investment portfolio in South Korean stocks.
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South Korean stocks plunge 20%, nearing a bear market; the AI boom faces the awkward situation of "the more disastrous the earnings, the steeper the decline."
According to BlockBeats, on Wednesday afternoon, July 8th, South Korean stocks extended their losses as investors reassessed the outlook for AI demand. The KOSPI index fell by more than 6% at one point, breaking below 7200 points, and has cumulatively fallen by more than 20% from its all-time high last month, poised to enter technical bear market territory. Memory chip maker SK Hynix fell by as much as 5%, and Samsung Electronics fell by 6.9%. The Korea Exchange initiated a temporary trading halt on the KOSPI index, suspending algorithmic trading. South Korean stocks were among the strongest performing markets globally this year, but their performance is highly dependent on SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, amplifying volatility when sector sentiment weakens. Even with Samsung Electronics announcing a 19-fold surge in quarterly profits earlier this week, chip stocks continued to be under pressure. Jordan Klein, a TMT sector expert at Mizuho Securities, stated that investors overreacted to Samsung's preliminary second-quarter results. He believes this sell-off in semiconductor stocks is more a sign of waning momentum than a deterioration in fundamentals. Klein stated that excluding one-off bonus expenses, Samsung's operating profit actually significantly exceeded expectations, with its storage business implied operating margin potentially exceeding 80%. He indicated that Samsung's single-quarter operating profit has already surpassed the total of the past three years, and reacting to Samsung's stock price based solely on preliminary results is "extremely short-sighted." Meanwhile, an AI trading rotation occurred in Asian markets. Hong Kong-listed Chinese stocks rose, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rising as much as 3.4%, the Hang Seng Tech Index rising over 5% intraday, Alibaba rising over 8%, and Tencent rising over 3%. Market analysts believe that funds are flowing from crowded trades focused on AI infrastructure to markets with lower valuations and more value-oriented characteristics. Reuters' report on DeepSeek's self-developed chip and The Information's report on Zhipu AI considering designing its own AI chip further fueled this rotation. (Jinshi)
Analysis: South Korean stocks have plummeted more than 20% from their peak and are poised to enter a technical bear market.
PANews reported on July 8th that, according to Jinshi, the South Korean stock market continued its decline, with the KOSPI index falling by more than 6% intraday, accumulating a drop of over 20% since its June peak, poised to enter a technical bear market. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix fell by approximately 7% and 5% respectively, as investors reassess the prospects for AI demand. South Korea has been the world's best-performing stock market this year, but its over-reliance on two chipmakers makes it particularly vulnerable to shifts in industry sentiment. Leveraged ETFs amplified two-way volatility, further exacerbating market fluctuations. Despite Samsung Electronics' quarterly profit surging 19-fold this week, chip stocks continued their decline, highlighting that traders are demanding more evidence to justify the exorbitant investments across the entire supply chain. Fidelity International portfolio manager Ian Samson stated, "The current increased volatility stems largely from fundamental uncertainty."
Japanese and South Korean stocks closed lower, with South Korean stocks falling more than 5%.
According to Gate data, the Nikkei 225 Odaily closed down 1437.91 points, or 2.11%, at 66819.05 on Wednesday, July 8. The South Korean KOSPI index closed down 409.53 points, or 5.35%, at 7246.78 on Wednesday, July 8. The index briefly triggered a temporary trading halt during the session and has now fallen about 20% from its June high, approaching a technical bear market.
The South Korean won appreciated by more than 1% against the US dollar.
According to ChainCatcher, Gate market data shows that the Korean won has risen by more than 1% against the US dollar.
Data: Since 2026, foreign capital outflows from the South Korean stock market have exceeded $100 billion.
According to Odaily Odaily, Coin Bureau published an article on the X platform stating that since the beginning of 2026, foreign investors have withdrawn more than $100 billion from the South Korean stock market.
Opinion: South Korea has not yet truly entered the stablecoin market; it needs to first answer why it is worthwhile to use it.
According to Odaily Odaily, Yoon Seung-sik, head of Tiger Research, stated that the South Korean won stablecoin market does not yet have a real place, not because it lacks potential, but because South Korea has not yet experienced enough market practice and discussion. Unlike the United States, which has undergone years of trial and error, regulation, and market evolution in the field of stablecoins, related discussions in South Korea are just beginning. South Korea's financial infrastructure is already very well-developed, and the real challenge lies in answering "why consumers need to use won stablecoins." Yin Chengzhi believes that the core keywords for the digital asset industry in the first half of this year were stablecoins, tokenization, and RWA. While AI Agents and DeFi have long-term potential, they are still far from large-scale implementation. Stablecoins and tokenization, on the other hand, have accumulated numerous global case studies, driving more institutions to accelerate their entry. It is expected that the digital asset market in the second half of the year will continue to focus on regulatory developments, the actual effectiveness of stablecoins and RWA implementation, and new retail market narratives. (Etoday)