Global Market: Japan's Nikkei falls 2% as Samsung slump sparks chipmaker selloff

Japan's Nikkei share average closed 2% lower on Tuesday as semiconductor-related heavyweights fell after a drop in South Korea's Samsung Electronics sent the benchmark KOSPI tumbling.

The Nikkei fell 2.12% to close at 68,256.96.

The broader ‌Topix index ⁠ended ⁠0.97% lower at 4,062.26 after hitting a record high of 4,137.62 earlier in the session, as investors bought financial and other beaten-down value stocks.


"The market looked into the shares of Samsung Electronics , which fell even as the memory chipmaker's forecast beat the market forecast," said Kazuaki Shimada, chief strategist at IwaiCosmo Securities.

Shares of Japan's ⁠high-flying memory maker ‌Kioxia fell 11.26% and chip-related Advantest and Tokyo Electron lost 2.25% and 3.94%, respectively.

The tech-heavy Nikkei tends to ⁠track moves in South Korea's benchmark index, which is also heavily weighted toward chip stocks.

The benchmark KOSPI fell as much as 8%, triggering circuit breakers for the sixth time this year, as Samsung Electronics tanked as much as 10%.

The world's largest memory chipmaker on Tuesday forecast a 19-fold jump in second-quarter operating profit from a year earlier.

"In the short ‌term, investors will keep selling AI stocks to book profits, but at the same time they are buying undervalued stocks," said Naoki Fujiwara, ⁠senior fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management. Japan's banking shares rose, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group up 2.26%. Shares of Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group inched up 0.39% and 0.18%, respectively.

Nomura Holdings rose 3% to become the top percentage gainer in the Nikkei.

Toyota Motor closed 0.79% higher.

Of the more than 1,500 stocks trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's prime market, 47% rose, 49% slipped and 2% traded flat.