# South Korean Chip Stocks Sink as Asian Markets Reprice U.S. Election The KOSPI closed November 6 down 6.02% at 5,059.69 after a morning trading halt and emergency measures to ease market volatility. By Will Langan | 24X7 News Published: 2026-11-05T04:04:59.564Z Updated: 2026-11-06T09:03:15.002Z Section: Money Format: News Canonical: https://24x7news.us/articles/asian-chip-stocks-kospi-midterms-november-5-2026 Update — November 6, 3:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time (12:30 a.m. Central): The KOSPI finished Friday at 5,059.69, a decline of 324.11 points, or 6.02%. It closed above its intraday low of 4,911.28, but the second consecutive sharp daily loss followed the morning trading halt and emergency policy response. Samsung Electronics ended down 6.4% and SK Hynix 10.4%. These closing figures supersede the earlier intraday readings below, which remain as dated history. Update — November 6, 12:10 p.m. Korea Standard Time (November 5, 9:10 p.m. Central): South Korean financial authorities announced a three-month relaxation of collateral rules on loans used to buy shares, starting later this month, after an emergency meeting. Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il said further measures were ready if volatility worsened. By 11:59 a.m. in Seoul, the KOSPI had recovered to 5,186.68, down 3.55%, after touching 4,911.28 earlier. These are intraday figures; Friday’s session had not closed. Yonhap and Reuters independently reported the policy response. Update — November 6, 9:26 a.m. Korea Standard Time (November 5, 6:26 p.m. Central): The selloff intensified in a new Seoul trading session. The Korea Exchange halted KOSPI trading for 20 minutes from 9:03 a.m. Friday after the index fell more than 8%. By 9:26 a.m., the index was down about 8.6% at 4,923.47, below 5,000 for the first time in nine months. Samsung Electronics fell about 10% and SK Hynix about 13%. These are intraday readings, not closing figures. The halt followed Thursday’s U.S. technology-stock rout. The earlier Thursday-morning Asian-market readings are retained below as dated context. Earlier Context — November 5, 2026, Seoul Morning: South Korean semiconductor shares fell sharply in Thursday morning trading as Asian investors assessed how the U.S. midterm election could affect artificial-intelligence regulation, energy policy and global growth. South Korea’s chip-heavy KOSPI dropped about 4% during the morning session, according to Reuters. Samsung Electronics fell more than 5%, while SK Hynix declined more than 7%. Local reports showed foreign investors were the largest net sellers as losses widened after the opening bell. The decline contrasted with a broad rally in U.S. stocks Wednesday after Democrats won control of Congress. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 3%, while the S&P 500 gained about 1.6% and the Nasdaq Composite advanced about 1.4%. Other Asian benchmarks were mixed. The Associated Press reported that Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped about 0.5% and Taiwan’s Taiex fell roughly 1.6%, while markets in Hong Kong, mainland China and Australia advanced. Reuters said investors were selling Asian data-center and semiconductor suppliers on expectations that the incoming Congress could bring closer scrutiny of the AI industry and new data-center construction. Several victorious U.S. candidates campaigned on restrictions or pauses for large data-center projects. Those expectations remain speculative. Congress does not take office until January, and any federal legislation would require approval through the legislative process. Analysts cited by Reuters said demand for chips and computing infrastructure is still expected to remain strong, although policy uncertainty could delay some projects. Energy markets moved in the opposite direction. Brent crude traded near $93.50 a barrel after falling almost 9% overnight, as investors increased bets that divided government could reduce the likelihood of further U.S. escalation in the war with Iran. Lower oil prices supported bonds and helped weaken the U.S. dollar against the euro. The market moves reflect investors’ immediate interpretation of the election rather than confirmed changes in U.S. law or foreign policy. Prices may change substantially before Asian markets close, and the final session figures could differ from the morning levels. For U.S. investors, the selloff shows how domestic election results can quickly affect overseas companies tied to American technology spending. It also underscores a split between the near-term benefit of lower energy prices and concern that new policy constraints could slow parts of the AI infrastructure boom. Sources: - Yonhap — November 6 trading halt: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261106002100320 - Reuters — November 6 circuit breaker: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-stocks-plunge-8-circuit-breaker-triggered-chip-shares-tumble-2026-11-06/ - Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-markets-global-markets-2026-11-05/ - Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/7ee9c212805aa5e70cf34d25aab7a36e - SBS News: https://news.sbs.co.kr/english/article.do?cooper=SBSNEWSMAIN&news_id=N1008831831&plink=SPECIAL - Yonhap — November 6 market stabilization measures: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261106002551320 - Yonhap — November 6 closing market report: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261106007851320 ## Sources - Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-markets-global-markets-2026-11-05/ - Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/7ee9c212805aa5e70cf34d25aab7a36e - SBS News: https://news.sbs.co.kr/english/article.do?cooper=SBSNEWSMAIN&news_id=N1008831831&plink=SPECIAL - Image: Korea Exchange Seoul office, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%EA%B1%B0%EB%9E%98%EC%86%8C_2025.jpg - Yonhap — November 6 KOSPI trading halt: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261106002100320 - Reuters — November 6 KOSPI circuit breaker: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-stocks-plunge-8-circuit-breaker-triggered-chip-shares-tumble-2026-11-06/ - Yonhap — November 6 market stabilization measures and midday recovery: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261106002551320 - Yonhap — November 6 closing market report: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261106007851320