AI Stock Sell-Off Hits Asia; Samsung, SK Hynix, SoftBank Plunge

A sell-off in artificial intelligence stocks spread to Asia on Friday, with Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and SoftBank Group posting sharp declines amid concerns over the cost of financing rapid sector expansion. Samsung fell as much as 9.98% and SK Hynix 11.71% in early Seoul trading, while SoftBank dropped about 11% in Tokyo. South Korea's KOSPI plunged over 8%, triggering a 20-minute trading halt, though chipmakers later trimmed losses. The sell-off followed a 5.52% drop in the Nasdaq Composite and a 12.25% plunge in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index on Thursday. SoftBank's credit default swap spread hit a four-year high, reflecting market worries about its leverage, while analysts noted no collapse in current memory chip orders.