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Japan, South Korea Stocks Slump in Early Trading; Kospi Drops Over 4%, Nikkei 225 Falls Nearly 2%, Kioxia Tumbles Almost 10%

TradingKey

AuthorYulia Zeng

Oct 13, 2026 12:35 AM

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On October 13, Japanese and South Korean stock markets weakened significantly, driven by a sharp pullback in regional tech and semiconductor shares. The KOSPI dropped 4.37%, while the Nikkei 225 declined 1.86%. Major regional bellwethers, including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and SoftBank Group, posted heavy losses. This downturn followed a weak performance in U.S. equities, where the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index hit a three-week low. Market sentiment was heavily pressured by intensifying competitive concerns in the memory chip sector, following announcements regarding advanced next-generation memory architecture developments, triggering broad-based declines across global semiconductor and hardware equities.

AI-generated summary

TradingKey - On October 13, Japanese and South Korean stock markets weakened in early trading, with South Korean stocks extending losses further. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) opened down 3.10% at 6,186.08 points, with losses subsequently widening to 4.37% at 6,105.50 points; Japan's Nikkei 225 Index (N225) opened 0.68% lower at 68,564.85 points, with losses later expanding to 1.86% at 67,745.61 points.

kospi-c746851ec13645f9bf249f02e143ab7c

Source: TradingView

South Korean semiconductor leaders were under clear pressure. Samsung Electronics fell 4.59% to 239,000 won (about $1,723); SK Hynix dropped 5.05% to 1.524 million won. Japanese tech stocks also suffered significant declines, with SoftBank Group falling 6.79% to 5,409 yen (about $34) and Kioxia tumbling 9.71% to 15,805 yen.

Overnight, major U.S. stock indices closed mixed, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.38% to 51,850.55 points, the S&P 500 Index slipping 0.06% to 7,807.24 points, and the Nasdaq Composite Index falling 0.44% to 27,245.90 points. Among them, the semiconductor sector was one of the market's weakest performers, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index falling 2.7% to a three-week low.

A concentrated pullback in the memory chip sector was a key drag on tech stocks. Cao Kanyu, president of Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), recently disclosed that the company has made significant progress in its next-generation 4F² memory cell architecture and plans to launch server memory products based on this technology by the end of 2026. This development intensified market concerns over shifts in the memory chip competitive landscape, leading investors to reevaluate the competitive pressure facing South Korean memory chip giants in the future.

U.S. memory and related hardware companies fell broadly, with Micron Technology (MU) dropping below the $1,000 mark to close down about 4%; SanDisk (SNDK) fell nearly 6%, while SK Hynix ADR (SKHY) and Super Micro Computer (SMCI) both dropped more than 4%. In addition, Seagate Technology (STX) fell over 3%, Quantum (QMCO) plunged over 9%, and Corning (GLW) also moved significantly lower.

This content was translated using AI and reviewed for clarity. It is for informational purposes only.

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Disclaimer: The content of this article solely represents the author's personal opinions and does not reflect the official stance of Tradingkey. It should not be considered as investment advice. The article is intended for reference purposes only, and readers should not base any investment decisions solely on its content. Tradingkey bears no responsibility for any trading outcomes resulting from reliance on this article. Furthermore, Tradingkey cannot guarantee the accuracy of the article's content. Before making any investment decisions, it is advisable to consult an independent financial advisor to fully understand the associated risks.

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