Asia’s stock markets dive amid Iran-Israel conflict, Wall Street jitters
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- South Korea’s KOSPI fell nearly 9% in early trading, triggering the exchange’s circuit‑breaker for the second time this year.
- Samsung Electronics dropped 10.2% as the KOSPI plunged.
- SK Hynix slid 7.6% amid the sell‑off.
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 3.9% as US rate‑hike fears after strong payrolls spilled over into Asian tech stocks, per analyst Fabien Yip of IG Group.
- Brent crude rose 3.7% to above $88.50 a barrel after Iran‑Israel hostilities resumed.
Why it matters: Investors face steep losses as Asian equities tumble, especially Korean chip makers, while US Fed rate‑hike fears tighten financing for leveraged positions, potentially curbing AI‑related stock rallies.
