The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is heading for declines on both the week and the month, and the culprit isn’t some macroeconomic shock or geopolitical flare-up. It’s two companies: Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
The index has retreated approximately 4% month-to-date in mid-July 2026, driven largely by a concentrated selloff in South Korea’s semiconductor sector.
The semiconductor selloff in numbers
SK Hynix suffered its worst single-day decline in history on July 13, plunging more than 15% in a single session. Samsung Electronics wasn’t far behind, shedding roughly 8-9% over the same stretch.
Samsung and SK Hynix combined account for roughly 13% of the MSCI EM Index as of May 2026. Add in TSMC, and the top three semiconductor names represent over 25% of the entire benchmark.
