US technology stocks are set to slump on Tuesday after a selloff in Korean chipmakers stoked concerns about the sustainability of the artificial intelligence-related rally.
Contracts on the Nasdaq 100 fell 2.7% as of 7.09 a.m. in New York, while S&P 500 futures dropped 1.4%. In Europe, the technology sub-index of the Stoxx 600 fell 3%.
South Korea’s Kospi Index fell 10%, triggering a circuit breaker, with SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. each plunging more than 10%. A local media report said SK Hynix Inc. is slowing expansion of AI memory chip production and shifting emphasis to the cheaper commodity DRAM, sparking worries among traders over demand for AI datacenters. The sharp drop in Korean chip bellwethers suggests investors are moving quickly to lock in recent gains, a warning sign for US tech stocks.
“Today’s selloff should be seen less as a verdict on Korea’s fundamentals and more as a reminder of how the recent rally had been financed,” said Chris Cha, a sales trader at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. “That leaves my medium-term view broadly unchanged, while making me somewhat more cautious on the near-term path,” he added.
Read: Stocks Slump on Tech Selloff, Oil Edges Lower: Markets Wrap
Tuesday’s moves follow the previous session’s selloff in US tech heavyweights as doubts emerged over hyperscalers’ colossal AI spending. Separately, SpaceX shares fell to the lowest level since their first day of trading as Elon Musk’s rocket firm embarked on a sale of investment-grade bonds. The stock was down 3.4% in premarket trading on Tuesday.
“Any headline that can be read as ‘AI-memory demand might be plateauing’ gets sold hard right now,” said Amanda Lyons, head of research at Energy Group Capital. “The vulnerability is in the positioning and the valuation, not in the buildout.”
The rapid buildout of AI data centers has led to a severe squeeze in more traditional memory chips, including the DRAM products that are used in everything from mobile phones and computers to electric vehicles. Mark Li, a Bernstein analyst who tracks the semiconductor industry, warned earlier this year that memory chip prices are going “parabolic.”
Vey-Sern Ling, managing director at Union Bancaire Privee in Singapore, said that if SK Hynix is shifting investment into DRAM, it’s probably a reflection of the company’s view on the potential profits in that market.
“It just means they think margins on commodity DRAM are better than HBM4,” he said, refering to high bandwidth memory chips. “There’s still a sharp global supply shortage in memory.”
SK Hynix declined to comment on the report.
The rally in US technology stocks has faltered this month as investors worry that share prices may be overheating. Still, the Nasdaq 100 remains more than 30% up compared with end-March, and some market participants said the breather was likely to be short-lived.
“A market drop, even with heavy volatility, is healthy and will provide entry points for other investors,” said David Kruk, head of trading at La Financiere de l’Echiquier.
However, David Rainville, lead manager of the Sycomore Sustainable Tech fund, noted that moves in Korean stocks could be exacerbated due to a heavy participation of retail investors.
The risks were highlighted by comments from South Korea’s top regulator on Monday. Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin said he regretted not blocking the launch of leveraged exchange-traded funds tracking SK Hynix and Samsung, warning that they were having significant negative side effects. About 92% of the holders of these ETFs are retail investors.
Attention will soon be shifting to Micron Technology Inc.’s quarterly results on Wednesday. The stock has been this year’s top performer in the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, rallying more than 300% since January.
“Many investors are sitting on large gains with their AI stocks, and any jitters could lead them to cut their position to lock in the gains,” said Jian Shi Cortesi, a fund manager at Gam Investment Management. “Right now tech stocks are also particularly sensitive to interest rate outlook and potential Fed rate hikes.”