Seoul stocks crash for 2nd day on AI rout after U.S. midterms

Seoul stocks continued to plummet for a second day on Friday, November 6, 2023, as investors grew concerned that a Democratic Congress could slow down the construction of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, according to Yonhap reports. The Korean won experienced a sharp depreciation against the U.S. dollar amid the market turbulence. The KOSPI, the benchmark index, closed at a record low of 5,059.69 points, marking a staggering 6.02% decline.

Earlier on Thursday, the index had already plummeted over 5%, with a further drop of more than 8% witnessed right after the opening bell. Frightened by the rapid decline, the country's bourse operator halted trading of KOSPI stocks for 20 minutes. Lee Kyoung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, attributed the market crash to fears that the U.S. Congress could impose stricter regulations on AI data centers. These concerns have extended to the broader AI sector, encompassing semiconductors.

Democrats managed to gain control of both houses in the midterm elections earlier in the week, with five states shifting allegiance to the Democratic Party, notably Texas, which is a prime location for AI data centers. Lee explained that while the probability of the U.S. legislators completely halting data center development is slim, the market's reaction appears to be disproportionate.