U.S. government shutdown heightens market uncertainty, sending stock index futures lower
Related
The STAR Market 50 Index rose more than 3%, with chip stocks strengthening again.
Mars Finance reports that the STAR Market 50 Index surged over 3%, led by semiconductor chip stocks, with SMIC, Cambricon, Hua Hong Semiconductor, and Shengmei Shanghai among those rising sharply. (Cailian Press)
At the opening of the US stock market, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.09%, while the Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.6%.
According to Mars Finance, Gate.com data shows that at the opening of the US stock market, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.09%, the S&P 500 fell 0.22%, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.6%. Chip stocks continued their pullback, with SanDisk down 6.5%, Western Digital down 6.7%, and Micron Technology down 6.07%. SpaceX was officially included in the Nasdaq 100 index today, and its stock price fell 1.7%.
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."
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)
The Hang Seng Index rose more than 3%, with chip and tech stocks performing strongly.
According to ChainCatcher, Gate market data shows that the Hang Seng Index rose by more than 3%, with chip and technology stocks leading the gains and showing strong performance.
South Korea's Ministry of Finance: Will closely monitor stock market volatility risks
According to Mars Finance, citing Gate data, South Korea's Ministry of Finance stated on Wednesday that Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol, following a meeting with the central bank governor and heads of financial regulatory agencies, agreed to closely monitor risk factors that could exacerbate stock market volatility. The Ministry of Finance stated that increased stock market volatility stemmed from profit-taking by foreign investors and institutions, portfolio rebalancing, and changes in expectations for the global AI sector. In early trading today, the South Korean KOSPI index fell as much as 4%, hitting its lowest level since May 20th, before rebounding, driven by a rally in chip stocks. The Ministry of Finance pointed out that increased concentration in the semiconductor industry has become a factor exacerbating financial market volatility.