Nasdaq futures plunged on Tuesday as a rout in memory chipmakers spurred doubts about the AI trade, piling pressure on stocks more broadly even as US-Iran talks showed progress.
Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) dived 2.8%, while those on the S&P 500 (ES=F) sank 1.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F), which include fewer tech names, slid 0.5%.
The Nasdaq is set for another hammering, after Monday saw Big Tech players take a hit as SpaceX (SPCX) notched its third day of losses in a row. Shares in Elon Musk’s space company were down another 5% before the bell, on track to push below $2 trillion in market value.
Piling on the pressure, a sell-off in memory chip giants SK Hynix (000660.KS) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS, SSNLF) in South Korea underscored growing questions about overstretched AI valuations. Both saw their shares sink over 12%, to drag the benchmark Kospi stock index to a 10% loss.
The rout turns up the focus on Micron (MU) earnings due for release on Wednesday, watched for a read on how strong the demand for memory remains. Shares in the chipmaker dropped 10% in premarket, after surging to a record close on Monday.
Meanwhile, ongoing peace and nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran showed signs of progress, as the US issued a 60-day waiver on oil sanctions on its adversary.
On Tuesday, FedEx (FDX) and Cerebras Systems (CBRS) will report earnings. Cerebras System’s results will be the AI chip company’s first since going public in May.
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Chinese stocks in Hong Kong extend slump to enter bear market
Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong entered a bear market as tepid consumer spending and fading confidence in e-commerce firms dampened investors’ appetite.
Bloomberg reports:
The Hang Seng China Enterprises (^HSCE) index fell as much as 1.8%, briefly extending its drop to more than 20% from its Oct. 2 peak.
Major constituents such as Tencent Holdings (0700.HK, TCEHY) and Alibaba (BABA, 9988.HK) weighed heavily on the gauge. The MSCI China (^716566-USD-STRD) index slid as much as 2.2%, while the onshore benchmark CSI 300 (000300.SS) index declined 2.1%.
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SpaceX rout set to push its market value below $2 trillion
SpaceX (SPCX) shares extended declines in premarket trading, a day after the company saw the second-largest single-session drop in market value on record.
Bloomberg reports:
The stock fell as much as 5% to about $147, below its first-day opening price of $150 and putting the Elon Musk-led rocket, satellite and artificial intelligence company on track to slip below $2 trillion in market capitalization. The decline came as a sell-off in technology stocks dragged Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) lower.
After falling for three straight sessions, SpaceX has shed more than $600 billion in value. Monday alone erased about $400 billion, marking the second-largest one-day loss on record after Nvidia’s (NVDA) roughly $590 billion plunge last year.
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Korea’s Kospi tanks 10% to lead tech-fuelled Asia rout
South Korea’s Kospi Composite (^KS11) index in Seoul collapsed 10% on Tuesday in an Asian stock market rout that followed a tech-led sell-off on Wall Street.
The sell-off came as investors again question a long-running AI-fuelled boom, while oil extended losses amid optimism for US-Iran peace talks.
From AFP:
Tech firms — the main driver of a surge across world markets as investors pile into all things AI — took a painful hit in Asia.
South Korean chip giants SK Hynix (000660.KS) and Samsung Electronics (005930.KS, SSNLF) tumbled more than 12 percent each to drag the Kospi index down 10%, after it finished Monday at a record high.
“The scale of the decline … appears excessive. More importantly, the sell-off could signal that investors are beginning a broader process of reducing their positions. In other words, there may still be considerable selling pressure waiting in the wings,” Joo Won, head of the economic research division at Hyundai Research Institute, told AFP.
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Bloomberg reports:
Oil steadied after falling more than 3% in the previous session following early progress in peace talks over the Iran war, which included a US waiver allowing some sales from the Islamic Republic.
Brent (BZ=F) crude traded near $78 a barrel after the biggest decline in almost a week on Monday, while West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) was above $74. The 60-day license permits the sale of some Iranian oil and petroleum products, citing “productive talks” in Switzerland, offering Tehran a crucial economic lifeline.
US and Iranian officials both cited progress in the first round of talks toward a lasting agreement to end the conflict that started at the end of February, but some discrepancies have emerged. Vice President JD Vance said Iran agreed to allow nuclear inspectors into the country, a claim disputed by Tehran.
The waiver permits almost anyone to purchase and pay for Iranian oil, including US refineries, although some might be unwilling to take on the risk. Supply from the Persian Gulf has ticked up recently, with producers such as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates finding workarounds to get energy out. Iran has also shipped more more than 30 million barrels over the past week.
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