Business · Markets · 1 hr ago
Japan and South Korea stocks fall as AI sell-off deepens
Japanese and South Korean stocks fell sharply on Friday morning.
The declines followed a tech sell-off on Wall Street overnight.
Investors are concerned about possible delays to data center construction.
The worry follows a sweeping Democratic victory in the US midterm elections.
Data center construction has become a hot-button issue in the US and beyond.
The sources do not say what happens next.
Japanese and South Korean stocks fell sharply on Friday as a technology sell-off on Wall Street deepened.
South Korea’s Kospi fell 8.8% in early trading, triggering a circuit breaker, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 6.2%.
Investors were concerned that Democratic election victories in the United States could lead to tighter rules or delays for AI data center projects.
Chipmakers were among the biggest losers, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both falling more than 9% in early trading.
- Who
- Investors in Japanese and South Korean stocks; chipmakers including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were also affected.
- What
- Asian stocks fell sharply as a technology sell-off deepened. South Korea’s Kospi triggered a circuit breaker.
- When
- Friday morning, November 6, 2026.
- Where
- Japan and South Korea, following a sell-off on Wall Street.
- Why
- Investors feared Democratic election victories in the United States could bring tighter regulation or delays for AI data center investment.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Democrats won a sweeping victory in the US midterm elections.
US stocks fell sharply in a technology-led sell-off.
Japanese and South Korean stocks plunged, and South Korea’s Kospi triggered a circuit breaker.
- Kospi
- Fell 8.8% in early trading, according to Economic Times.
- Nikkei 225
- Lost 6.2%, according to Economic Times.
- Circuit breaker
- Triggered on South Korea’s Kospi.
- Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix
- Both fell more than 9% in early trading, according to Economic Times.
- US election
- Democrats won control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to CNN.
6 sources
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What people are saying
This is a ‘blue trade’ panic pricing in policy risk
plenty of chip and equipment exposure still to unwind. Sentiment could weaken further until the chip side gets a reason to rally.