Asian markets began Friday, 30 October, with sharp losses in South Korea and Japan as concerns over the returns on artificial intelligence spending unsettled investors. The Kospi opened almost 3% lower before its decline deepened, while Hong Kong provided a notable exception to the regional weakness.
Selling accelerates in Seoul
South Korea’s benchmark Kospi opened at 5,760.35, down 177.31 points, or 2.99%, following overnight losses on Wall Street. The decline extended beyond 5% during the morning, with the index falling as much as 5.7% at one stage.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix suffered intraday losses exceeding 6% and 8% respectively. Foreign investors and institutions led the selling, while individual investors bought shares. The smaller Kosdaq market also fell more than 4%, showing that the pressure extended beyond the largest semiconductor companies.
Japan and Taiwan follow lower
Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 2.6% to 62,960.60 in early trading as technology shares came under pressure. These were subsequent trading levels, following a weaker start to the session.
Taiwan’s TAIEX also opened lower, at 46,139.79, approximately 0.5% below Thursday’s close. The opening decline added to the weakness across the region’s major semiconductor markets.
Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite was down 0.9% in early trading. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, however, gained 1.2%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5%, demonstrating that selling pressure varied considerably between markets.
Wall Street revives doubts about AI spending
The immediate backdrop was Thursday’s technology sell-off in the United States. Alphabet shares plunged approximately 12.6%, while the Nasdaq Composite lost around 1.4%. Disappointing results and questions about the cost of expanding AI infrastructure weighed on sentiment.
Further weakness following Amazon and Intel’s results added to those concerns. Investors were scrutinising whether spending on data centres, processors and computing capacity would translate into sufficient revenue and cash flow.
Friday’s pattern suggested a reassessment of expectations surrounding AI investment. Strong earnings from Korean chipmakers offered limited protection as investors focused on future returns and the sustainability of demand across the technology supply chain.
NewsHub Finance | Markets | 30 October 2026
Asian markets began Friday, 30 October, with sharp losses in South Korea and Japan as concerns over the returns on artificial intelligence spending unsettled investors. The Kospi opened almost 3% lower before its decline deepened, while Hong Kong provided a notable exception to the regional weakness.
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