Market
Asian markets plunge on the AI sell-off: Kospi hits a circuit breaker after an 8.7% drop, Taiex posts a record point fall
On Nov. 6 the Kospi fell 8.7% intraday, the Nikkei about 7% and Taiwan set a record point drop. Closes were milder: Kospi -5.1%, Nikkei -6%, Taiex about -4%.
On Friday, November 6, 2026, Asian chip-heavy markets sank after Wall Street's AI sell-off. The figures quoted in headlines are intraday lows: the Kospi fell 8.7% at its worst, the Nikkei 225 about 7% (6.7% in one wire relay), and Taiwan's Taiex recorded its largest-ever intraday fall in points. Closing moves were smaller, which matters when comparing sources.
The essentials
- Kospi: down 8.7% at the low (4,911.28 against 5,383.80 the day before), triggering a 20-minute circuit breaker, and below 5,000 for the first time in about nine months; it closed near 5,110, down about 5.1%.
- Nikkei 225: low of about 56,746, roughly 7% under the prior close; it closed near 57,438, down about 6%, its biggest one-day fall since April 2025.
- Taiex: opened about 9% lower, a fall of 3,737.67 points, the largest intraday point drop on record; it closed around 39,996, down about 3.8% (one report says 4.6%).
- Chip names: Samsung and SK Hynix fell more than 11% at their lows; TSMC briefly hit its daily limit-down and ended about 4% lower.
- Stated cause: a US tech sell-off, with worries about AI regulation and data-center delays after the US midterms, per Nikkei Asia and others.
What happened market by market?
The Korea Exchange imposed its first 8% circuit breaker on the Kospi, halting trading for 20 minutes. The index had nearly tripled in the 12 months to its June peak on memory-chip optimism, and a Reuters relay puts it 45% below that record. In Japan, the Nikkei was roughly 20% under its June peak, which some outlets call a technical bear market. Taiwan's index had been up more than 50% for the year earlier this week.
Why were these markets hit so hard?
The indexes are concentrated: a Reuters relay says TSMC is about 41% of the Taiex, and Samsung with SK Hynix more than half of the Kospi. That makes them swing with a handful of AI chip stocks. The same relay says more than $1 trillion was wiped from Asian markets in one session; we could not confirm that total independently.
Why do the numbers differ between sources?
Outlets mix intraday lows, mid-session levels and closes. For example, the Kospi is quoted at -8.7%, -8.8%, -7% and -5.1% at different moments. Taiex closes are given as -3.8% and -4.6%. We label each figure as intraday or close where the source does.
What is not established?
- Whether the declines continue after Friday's session.
- The real reasons beyond the Wall Street sell-off: regulatory fears are the press's interpretation.
- The $1 trillion regional total and the bear-market counts, which come from a relay of Reuters.
- Official closing data for every index, which we did not read directly.
Summary table
| Point | What is stated as of November 6, 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kospi low | -8.7%, 20-minute circuit breaker | Upstox, Nikkei Asia |
| Kospi close | About 5,110, -5.1% | Pomegra, JKN |
| Nikkei | Low about -7%; close about -6% | Upstox, Pomegra |
| Taiex | Record point fall; close about -3.8% | JKN, Pomegra |
| Samsung, SK Hynix | More than -11% at lows | BigGo |
| Cause | US AI sell-off, regulation fears | Nikkei Asia |
FAQ
Did the Kospi really fall 8.7%?
At the intraday low, yes; it ended the session down about 5.1%.
Is the Nikkei in a bear market?
Several outlets say it is about 20% under its June peak, the usual threshold; definitions vary.
Is this a crash?
It is a sharp sell-off; "crash" is not a defined market term.
Method and limits
Sources checked on November 6, 2026. We read search extracts of Upstox, Nikkei Asia, Business Standard, JKN, BigGo and wire relays; exchange data and Reuters were not read directly. This is not investment advice.
Sources
- Nikkei Asia: Taiwan stocks in steepest-ever fall, South Korea halts trading amid AI rout (verified 2026-11-06)
- Upstox: Asian markets crash, Nikkei 225 tumbles 7%, Kospi plummets 8.7% (verified 2026-11-06)
- Business Standard: Asian markets crash as AI rout rocks US markets (verified 2026-11-06)
- JKN: Asian markets tumble amid AI sell-off shock, TSMC briefly hits floor price (verified 2026-11-06)
- BigGo Finance: Asian chip stocks plunge as Kospi trips circuit breaker (verified 2026-11-06)
- Pomegra: Asia chip rout deepens, Kospi halted, TSMC falls 10% (verified 2026-11-06)
- HuggingNews: TSMC and SoftBank plunge as US AI rout pushes four Asian markets into bear territory (verified 2026-11-06)
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