Asian stocks fell on Thursday as mixed earnings from major U.S. tech companies failed to reassure investors about returns on heavy AI spending, with the MSCI Asia Pacific index down around 1%. South Korea's KOSPI fell 2.1%, led by chipmakers SK Hynix (down 4%) and Samsung Electronics (down 3.6%), while Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 2.7% and China's CSI 300 slid 1.6%. The Nasdaq 100 fell 5.5% last week, its steepest weekly drop since April 2025, as investors questioned whether heavy data-centre spending can pay off amid AI bubble concerns. Mainland Chinese equities also weakened on fading stimulus hopes and lacklustre earnings, and are approaching a bear market.
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AI investmentsemiconductorsAsiaSouth Korea
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Related tickers and likely impact
NVDA
▼ Likely negativeNvidia
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Information Technology |
| Industry | Semiconductors |
| Market cap | $5.2T |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 221.87 |
| Change that session | +2.49% |
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 725.21 |
| Change that session | +1.06% |
META
▼ Likely negativeMeta Platforms
Relevance: low
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services |
| Industry | Interactive Media & Services |
| Market cap | $1.9T |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 698.43 |
| Change that session | +0.60% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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