Investors dumped semiconductor and artificial intelligence holdings worldwide as regional political shifts triggered intense scrutiny of data center power and construction pipelines. The resulting selloff caused massive declines across Asian bourses after Wall Street wiped out $2.3 trillion in market equity. Amid the equity turmoil, broader financial indicators fluctuated as the U.S. dollar retreated against major peers while U.S. crude oil climbed above $91 per barrel.
Key points
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index headed toward its steepest weekly drop since April o…: The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index headed toward its steepest weekly drop since April of last year.
Policy pushback threatens an estimated half of all proposed artificial intelligence data…: Policy pushback threatens an estimated half of all proposed artificial intelligence data center additions across the United States.
Shares of key Asian semiconductor suppliers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both slumped…: Shares of key Asian semiconductor suppliers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix both slumped by over 9%.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
South Korea’s tech-heavy Kospi Index slid 8.8% in early trading, triggering a circuit breaker, with chipmakers Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. both plunging more than 9%. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 6.2%, while the MSCI Asia Pacific Index declined 2.9%. Futures pointed to losses in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.
The S&P 500 Index plunged 4.4% on Thursday to mark its worst performance since the April 2025 tariff meltdown. The Nasdaq 100 slid 6.4%, wiping out $2.3 trillion in value as it capped its worst session since March 2020. A closely watched gauge of chip giants tumbled 12%, with Nvidia Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Arm Holdings Plc among the biggest decliners. In a sign markets may be starting to stabilize, futures on the Nasdaq 100 Index gained 0.3%.
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“This is a ‘blue trade’ panic pricing in policy risk,” said Anna Wu, an investment strategist and founder of Floodlines Research, adding that there is “plenty of chip and equipment exposure still…
Prime Minister Mark Carney is establishing the Canada Strong Fund to tackle weak domestic productivity and prevent homegrown startups from relocating to international hubs. The initiative operates under a strictly domestic mandate, directing capital into local artificial intelligence, technology companies, and federal energy infrastructure. Ultimately, officials seek to mobilize C$1 trillion in combined public and private investment over a five-year horizon.
Domestic equities are poised to halt their six-day winning streak amid intense pressure from an overnight plunge across Wall Street. A major global sell-off is shaking investor sentiment across Asian bourses, leading to broad-based declines and market interruptions. Despite this international turbulence, domestic technical indicators suggest underlying market strength that could limit the depth of the initial pullback.
Investor anxiety intensified globally following concerns over massive artificial intelligence expenditures and potential regulatory curbs on data-center development after the U.S. midterm elections. The resulting tech downturn pushed major American indexes into correction territory, immediately triggering severe cross-border sell-offs for leading regional suppliers and hardware manufacturers across Asia.