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U.S. AI Stocks Plunge, Korean Chip Giants Soar

6/30/2026

24 2 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

U.S. tech firms including Alphabet saw sharp share drops after leadership exits on 22 June, sparking a global AI market slump.
South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix fell double-digit percentages, prompting a trading halt.
Kospi is up 125% year-to-date, its strongest first half since 1990, with Samsung up 183% and SK Hynix up 310%.
Micron’s stock rose 300% this year after reporting a 15-fold profit increase.

History

Historical Context

The late-1990s surge in internet and telecom investment, spurred by the 1996 Telecommunications Act, led firms such as WorldCom, Global Crossing and Cisco to amass billions of dollars in debt. When the bubble burst in 2000-2001, the telecom sector lost roughly $500 billion of capital and many companies filed for bankruptcy, prompting tighter SEC governance rules still applied to today’s tech board upheavals.

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Story summary

U.S. tech firms including Alphabet saw sharp share drops after leadership exits on 22 June, sparking a global AI market slump.
South Korean chipmakers Samsung and SK Hynix fell double-digit percentages, prompting a trading halt.
Kospi is up 125% year-to-date, its strongest first half since 1990, with Samsung up 183% and SK Hynix up 310%.
Micron’s stock rose 300% this year after reporting a 15-fold profit increase.

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