SK Hynix jumps 11% as Asian chip shares rebound
South Korean and Japanese semiconductor stocks rose after Wall Street chip names recovered from an earlier sell-off tied to concerns over AI spending.
By Marcus V. Thorne · Markets Editor
· 3 min read
SK Hynix shares rose more than 11% in Seoul on Wednesday, leading a wider advance in Asian technology stocks as investors followed a recovery in U.S. semiconductor names. The move came after the South Korean memory-chip maker suffered what CNBC described as its largest one-day decline on record on Monday, when investors took profits amid rising concerns about AI-related spending.
The rebound extended gains from the previous session for SK Hynix and lifted other Korean technology shares. Samsung Electronics rose 6.8%, while Seoul Semiconductor added 6.4%, according to CNBC.
Japanese chip-linked stocks also advanced. Advantest climbed 4.2%, Lasertec gained 6.4% and Disco rose 2.8%. SoftBank Group advanced 0.8% and Tokyo Electron rose 0.9%, while Renesas Electronics slipped 0.2%, CNBC reported.
Wall Street recovery sets the tone
The gains in Asia followed a rebound in U.S. semiconductor shares after a sharp sell-off in the prior session. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF, an exchange-traded fund used by investors as a broad gauge of listed chip companies, rose 2.5% on Wall Street, according to CNBC.
Among U.S. chip stocks, Micron Technology and Lam Research each rose about 5%. Applied Materials and Teradyne gained more than 3%, CNBC reported.
Semiconductor shares across regions have been sensitive to changes in expectations for artificial intelligence infrastructure spending. Companies involved in memory chips, chip equipment and related technology have drawn investor attention as businesses expand computing capacity for AI workloads. When sentiment shifts in U.S. chip stocks, Asian suppliers and equipment makers often move in the same direction because investors treat the sector as part of a global supply chain linked to data center and AI demand.
The latest advance followed heavy volatility earlier in the week. CNBC reported that SK Hynix’s Monday drop came as investors locked in gains and reassessed the scale of spending tied to AI. Wednesday’s rise indicated a partial recovery in risk appetite, although it did not remove concerns among some market participants about valuations and speculative trading in AI-linked hardware names.
Investor warning on AI enthusiasm
Jordan Cvetanovski, chairman and chief investment officer at Pella Funds, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” that demand for AI infrastructure remains strong as companies build more computing capacity. He also said recent market behavior was becoming a concern.
“I’m starting to see some really concerning behavior in markets,” Cvetanovski told CNBC, adding that recent volatility showed “all the classic signs that we are in for a kind of rude shock coming in the AI space.”
His remarks framed the rally as part of a market still divided between confidence in AI-related demand and caution about how far share prices have moved. For investors, the immediate driver was the U.S. recovery in semiconductor stocks, while the broader debate remains focused on whether AI infrastructure spending can continue to support earnings expectations across the chip sector.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
