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Stock Market Crash: Investors lose over Rs 18 lakh crore as AI fears crash South Korea's market
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CNBC Awaaz•15-10-2026, 07:58
Stock Market Crash: Investors lose over Rs 18 lakh crore as AI fears crash South Korea's market
- •South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index plummeted by nearly 8 percent due to heavy selling by foreign investors.
- •Investors wiped out around Rs 18.3 lakh crore in a single stroke amidst growing concerns over AI investments and returns.
- •Major semiconductor giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix saw their shares slump by over 7 percent and 8 percent respectively.
- •Higher-than-expected US inflation and fears of Federal Reserve rate hikes further rattled market confidence.
- •Japanese markets also felt the spillover effect with the Nikkei 225 recording a decline of over 4 percent.
Key Questions Answered
Investor confidence in South Korea was rattled by growing anxieties over the sustainability and returns of massive artificial intelligence infrastructure spending. Additional pressures included higher-than-expected US inflation, rising Federal Reserve interest rate hike fears, foreign investor selling, and growing competition from Chinese memory chip firms.
During the initial heavy sell-off, South Korea's stock market lost approximately 305 trillion won or $203 billion, which translates to over Rs 18.3 lakh crore in Indian currency wiped out instantly.
Major semiconductor and memory chip makers bore the brunt of the sell-off, with Samsung Electronics tumbling by over 7% and SK Hynix slumping by more than 8% to drive the KOSPI index down.
