South Korea stocks fall 4% as tech heavyweights follow pl…

South Korea's stock market saw a significant decline of 4% following a downturn in U.S. tech stocks, particularly amidst investor concerns over Middle East tensions. Major companies such as Samsung and SK Hynix experienced drops of 6% and 8% respectively. Japan’s Nikkei 225 also fell by 1.1%, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was down by 0.2%. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Dow Jones reached a record high, but the Nasdaq underperformed as investors shifted away from chip stocks after a sell-off triggered by Broadcom's disappointing revenue figures.

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South Korea stocks fall 4% as tech heavyweights follow plunge in Wall Street’s AI-linked names

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Key Points

Investors continue to monitor Middle East tensions and efforts to end the conflict.
South Korea stocks fell 4%, leading regional losses.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures were at 25,158, lower than the index’s last close of 25,253.40.

A pedestrian walks past an electronic quotation board displaying the Nikkei 225 stock prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on March 23, 2026. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images)

A pedestrian walks past an electronic quotation board displaying the Nikkei 225 stock prices on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo on March 23, 2026.

Kazuhiro Nogi | Afp | Getty Images

South Korea stocks plunged Friday, leading losses in the region, and following the slump in Wall Street tech names overnight.

The Kospi was last down 4.11%, with heavyweights Samsung and SK Hynix dropping 6% and 8%, respectively, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 2.41%. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 1.1%.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was 0.2% lower.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures last traded at 25,158, lower than the index’s Thursday close of 25,253.40.

Symbol	Company	Name	Price	Change	%Change
.AXJO	S&P/ASX 200	ASX 200	8,638.60	-47.50	-0.55%
.HSI	Hang Seng Index	HSI	25,253.40	UNCH	UNCH
.KS11	KOSPI Index	KOSPI	8,207.09	-432.32	-5.00%
.N225	Nikkei 225 Index	NIKKEI	66,536.35	-934.34	-1.38%
.NSEI	NIFTY 50	NIFTY 50	23,416.55	UNCH	UNCH
.SSEC	Shanghai	SHANGHAI	4,057.781	UNCH	UNCH

Overnight in the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied to a fresh all-time high, while the Nasdaq Composite underperformed as investors appeared to rotate out of chip names in favor of non-tech stocks.

The 30-stock Dow jumped 874.86 points, or 1.73%, to close at a record 51,561.93. The Nasdaq lost 0.09% and ended at 26,830.96, while the S&P 500 rose 0.41% to 7,584.31.

The rotation was sparked by a sell-off in Broadcom that led investors to pare exposure to AI-linked stocks. The chipmaker slid more than 12% after its fiscal second-quarter revenue missed estimates. Chip names, which led the latest leg higher in the market’s rally to record levels, fell broadly. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) lost more than 1%. Arm Holdings shed more than 4%, while Micron Technology fell close to 8%.

Stocks also came under pressure on Middle East worries. Mixed messages have emerged recently out of negotiations to end the war, which has upset global markets and caused oil and gasoline prices to spike.

— CNBC’s Spencer Kimball and Lisa Kailai Han contributed to this report.

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South Korea stocks fall 4% as tech heavyweights follow plunge in Wall Street's AI-linked names