Asian stocks mostly slip amid chipmaker selloff; KOSPI leads regional declines while Australian stocks hit record peak
Price Action
Asian stock markets traded largely lower on Thursday, with South Korea’s KOSPI leading regional losses by tumbling 4.04% to around 6,285 and snapping previous gains, while the South Korean won weakened to 1,416.00 against the US dollar, its highest level since October 2025. Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.89% to below 65,300, reversing the prior session’s gains, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 1.80% to 25,444. China’s Shanghai Composite edged down 0.04% to 3,870 and the Shenzhen Component lost 0.6% to 14,053, snapping a two-session winning streak as markets awaited upcoming trade data. Bucking the trend, Australia’s ASX 200 advanced 0.36% to reach a record peak of 9,286 in early trading, supported by an unexpected trade surplus of AUD 1.93 billion in June 2026 that rebounded from a revised deficit and beat estimates of a AUD 1.1 billion deficit. India’s Sensex rose 0.20% to 78,710, while US index futures were mixed, with S&P 500 futures up 0.18% and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.13%.
