South Korean shares fell nearly 8% on Thursday and posted their lowest close in more than three weeks, dragged down by a global selloff in chipmakers as Meta Platforms' plan to sell computing power raised questions over excess AI capacity. The won weakened, while the benchmark bond yield rose. The benchmark KOSPI closed down 655.32 points, or 7.89%, at 7,648.09, the lowest closing since June 8. Among index heavyweights, chipmaker Samsung Electronics fell 9.06%, while peer SK Hynix lost 14.57%. Battery maker LG Energy Solution climbed 1.72%. Hyundai Motor and sister automaker Kia Corp were down 1.13% and up 2.61%, respectively. Steelmaker POSCO Holdings added 0.79%, while drugmaker Samsung BioLogics rose 0.72%. Meta Platforms is building a cloud business to sell excess AI computing capacity. Of the total 916 traded issues, 280 shares advanced, while 616 declined. Foreigners were net sellers of shares worth 4,370.6 billion won. The won was quoted at 1,555.8 per dollar on the onshore settlement platform, 0.30% lower than its previous close at 1,551.2. In offshore trading, the won was quoted at 1,554.0 per dollar, down 0.2% on the day, while in non-deliverable forward trading its one-month contract was quoted at 1,553.6. The KOSPI has risen 81.49% so far this year. The won has weakened 7.5% against the dollar this year. In money and debt markets, September futures on three-year treasury bonds gained 0.15 point to 103.08. The most liquid three-year Korean treasury bond yield fell by 4.4 basis points to 3.743%, while the benchmark 10-year yield rose by 2.5 basis points to 4.182%.
South Korea's KOSPI crashes nearly 8% on chip selloff
South Korean stocks experienced a sharp decline of nearly 8% on Thursday, hitting their lowest point in over three weeks. This downturn was primarily driven by a global selloff in chipmakers, triggered by Meta Platforms' plans to offer computing power, sparking concerns about AI capacity. The Korean won also weakened against the dollar, while bond yields saw an increase.










