A brand campaign video marking the launch of SK Hynix's ADR trading plays on a digital billboard in Times Square, New York. [Photo by Yonhap]
A brand campaign video marking the launch of SK Hynix's ADR trading plays on a digital billboard in Times Square, New York. [Photo by Yonhap]

"Those who didn't buy Samsung or SK Hynix are the winners." (online investment community)

"Glad I didn't buy when everyone was screaming it would hit 400,000 won." (online investment community)

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix each fell another 7 to 8 percent on Friday, and overnight on Wall Street semiconductor stocks tumbled again.

Fear is spreading among investors ahead of Monday's market open, with many bracing for further losses in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. "I thought this was the bottom" and "Should have sold on Friday" — pessimistic takes are flooding online forums.

The relentless sell-offs have sent retail investors into a full-blown panic.

US stocks closed mixed on Friday, but selling pressure concentrated heavily on chipmakers, sending major semiconductor names sharply lower across the board. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 4.25 percent, and Micron — whose share price tends to track Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — dropped 7 percent. SK Hynix's American depositary receipts also fell 8.8 percent.

Intel posted second-quarter earnings that beat market expectations, yet its share price still fell 7.9 percent. Broadcom dropped 2.7 percent and AMD fell 3.3 percent. Apple, by contrast, rose 3.5 percent, helping lift the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Samsung Electronics headquarters
Samsung Electronics headquarters

Chinese media also noted that the rally in South Korean stocks had run out of steam. Chinese financial outlet Yicai reported Friday that "the leverage-fueled festival ended in a massive sell-off," adding that "an unprecedented phenomenon is unfolding in which tech stocks in China, the United States and South Korea are all plunging simultaneously."

Even experts are divided on whether to buy or sell. Still, the semiconductor optimism camp remains dominant.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang met with President Lee Jae-myung at the San Francisco AI Summit on Friday and expressed confidence that share prices would recover. Kim Yong-beom, chief of the Cheong Wa Dae policy office, said of the dinner: "When President Lee mentioned that Korean stocks had recently been going through a correction, Jensen Huang responded that they would rise again."

Meanwhile, investors are closely watching earnings releases and conference calls scheduled next week from SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, hoping for announcements that could spark a rebound in share prices.

They are also keeping a close eye on earnings reports from major tech companies including Microsoft and Meta, as well as the Federal Reserve's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, given the potential for significant impact on Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix share prices.


park@heraldcorp.com