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Global markets today: Asian markets opened lower on Tuesday, October 20, tracking a weaker regional sentiment. The subdued start contrasted with overnight gains on Wall Street, where the Nasdaq advanced 1.11%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.41%.
South Korea’s Kospi plunged 3.5% at the opening bell, extending losses in semiconductor stocks and trimming its 2026 gains to around 31%, down sharply from nearly 116% at its record closing high in June. While the small-cap Kosdaq declined 1.03%. Among major stocks, memory chipmaker SK Hynix fell 4.07%, while Samsung Electronics shed 1.03%.
Japanese markets also traded lower in morning deals, with the Nikkei 225 declining 1.21%, as weakness in technology and semiconductor-related stocks dragged on sentiment. SoftBank Group tumbled 4.46%, while chipmaking equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron fell 1.45% and Renesas Electronics dropped 1.49%.
Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.84% in early trading. Meanwhile, Taiwan index Taiex turned positive by rising 0.30% after opening in red.
Back home, GIFT Nifty was also trading turned green on Tuesday, with the index up over 85 points or 0.34% to 22,969. However, the Indian stock market will remain closed for trading today on account of Dussehra.
US stocks opened the week on a mixed note on Monday, October 19, as technology shares recovered from last week's sell-off ahead of a busy earnings week, with investors awaiting results from major companies, including Tesla and Meta Platforms.
The Nasdaq Composite climbed 1%, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.5% shortly after the opening bell. In contrast, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 63 points, or around 0.1%.
The rebound in technology stocks followed a weak session on Friday, when all three major US indices ended in the red. The Nasdaq Composite posted its steepest weekly decline since June, while the S&P 500 dropped nearly 2% over the week.
Semiconductor stocks rose, led by gains in Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), as investors returned to technology shares after last week’s sell-off triggered by concerns over the financing of artificial intelligence-related investments.
Disclaimer: We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
Vaamanaa covers business and stock market news. Started in 2020, she has been producing news on digital platforms for over 4.5 years now. She writes on markets, commodities, IPOs, and industry. She has worked for news channels like Jagran New Media and Business Insider India. You can reach out to her at vaamanaa.sethi@htdigital.in.
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