South Korean Stocks Turn Lower as Investors Brace for U.S. Midterm Results -- Market Talk

0223 GMT - South Korean shares turn lower after opening gains, with artificial-intelligence stocks retreating, as investors brace for the outcome of the U.S. midterm elections. The benchmark Kospi is last 1.5% lower at 5565.55. Index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, both suppliers of high-bandwidth-memory products to AI chip giant Nvidia, have given up their early gains. Their stocks trade 1.8% and 2.6% lower, respectively. Asia's AI infrastructure players are heavily exposed to U.S.-led AI investment. If Democrats gain control of both chambers of Congress, demands for greater oversight of AI could intensify, creating uncertainty over the timelines for data-center expansion, iM Securities analyst Yang Hyun-kyung says in a note. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 03, 2026 21:23 ET (02:23 GMT)