The world's hottest AI stock market has gone cold

South Korea's Kospi, the world's best-performing major stock benchmark in the first half of 2026, has fallen about 24% in the second half, making it the worst-performing major market in that period, though it remains more than 50% higher this year. Investors are increasingly looking beyond South Korea's memory-chip giants toward companies with broader exposure to the AI hardware boom. Analysts at GlobalData.TS Lombard noted in July that much of the earnings growth at Korean memory-chip makers came from higher memory-chip prices. Taiwan is pulling ahead as investors broaden their AI bets.

Read More