KOSPI closes 7.6 percent lower as chip rout deepens
Published on 10/15/2026 at 13:14 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSCircuit breakers and next dates
- The KOSPI closed at 5,554 points on October 15, down 455 points or 7.6 percent.
- Sticky U.S. inflation lifted rate-hike bets as the index fell 9.3 percent intraday.
- SK Hynix fell 11.1 percent, leading losses among major KOSPI chipmakers.
- South Korea releases September employment data on October 16 at 8:00 a.m. KST.
The KOSPI closed on October 15, 2026 at 5,554 points, down 455 points or 7.6 percent, as chipmakers tracked a Wall Street technology selloff. Sticky U.S. inflation lifted rate-hike bets, while the index fell as much as 9.3 percent and triggered a circuit breaker.
SK Hynix fell 11.1 percent as doubts over artificial intelligence investment returns deepened. Samsung Electronics also dropped 9.5 percent, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Why did the KOSPI fall 7.6 percent?
The decline followed a technology-led selloff on Wall Street after U.S. inflation data raised expectations of further Federal Reserve rate hikes. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 4.3 percent overnight, while foreign investors sold a net KRW 2.9 trillion in Seoul, Reuters reported.
Concerns over the profitability of artificial intelligence infrastructure added pressure to semiconductor shares. The selloff activated a 20-minute circuit breaker after the KOSPI fell 8 percent from its previous close, Korea JoongAng Daily said.
Chipmakers led the KOSPI losses
Samsung Electronics fell 9.5 percent and SK Hynix lost 11.1 percent. LG Energy Solution declined 4.6 percent, while 789 of 917 traded shares fell, according to Reuters via Yahoo Finance.
KOSPI ends at a six-month low
The index opened 5.6 percent lower and reached 5,450.81 points before recovering part of the loss. It extended its decline to seven sessions, its longest losing streak since September 2024, The Korea Herald reported.
The won weakened to 1,348.2 per USD, while South Korea's 10-year government bond yield fell 5.7 basis points to 4.188 percent. The KOSPI was up 31 percent for the year but 39 percent below its late-June record, according to Reuters.
What comes next for the KOSPI
- October 16, 2026, 6:00 a.m. KST: South Korea releases September import and export price indexes, Newspim reports.
- October 16, 2026, 8:00 a.m. KST: September employment data are due, with August employment up 184,000 year over year, eToday reports.
