SK Hynix ADR drops 4.9% as inflation, HBM4 delays, and Chinese competition weigh

SK Hynix ADR shares fell 4.9% to $140.39 in morning trading, extending a multi-day selloff driven by hotter-than-expected U.S. September inflation data and rising Treasury yields, which fueled concerns the Federal Reserve may tighten policy further. The macro pressure was compounded by company-specific risks, including reports that SK Hynix delayed equipment orders for its next-generation HBM4 production line, and Chinese rival ChangXin Memory Technologies announced plans to enter the server memory market this year. The broader selloff hit the entire memory sector, with SanDisk, Micron, and Western Digital all falling over 4%. The stock remains well below its 52-week high of $199.87, and South Korea's KOSPI index has entered bear market territory, down about 21% from September highs, as investors reassess the sustainability of the AI memory boom amid higher interest rates and intensifying competition.