SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics lead losses as Asian stocks retreat on US tech sell-off

The MSCI Asia Pacific equities gauge slid 0.5% after a semiconductor sell-off on Wall Street, with South Korean chip leaders SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics driving the decline. S&P 500 futures remained flat at 11:10 am Tokyo time, while Japan’s Topix stayed unchanged and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.6%. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.3% and the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.2%.

The decline followed a semiconductor sell-off on Wall Street that caused the Nasdaq 100 Index to fall nearly 1% on Monday, plus Nvidia's longest losing streak since 2022. Brent oil recovered some losses, rising 0.6% to about $92.70 a barrel after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened economic sanctions on countries dealing with Iran.

Gold lost earlier gains, falling 0.2% to around $4,640 an ounce. Investors are assessing rising geopolitical risks against a busy week of economic data and corporate earnings, with technology shares facing scrutiny. Nvidia's upcoming results on Wednesday will be crucial to gauge the AI trade's resilience, as investors question whether spending on the technology will lead to profits.