Chip stocks on international stock exchanges in free fall

Concern about AI regulation Chip crash causes stock markets to collapse As of: November 6th, 2026 • 10:21 a.m

A global sell-off in chip and tech stocks is sending major stock indices plummeting. In Seoul, trading was temporarily suspended. In the USA it was the worst slump since 2020.

A dramatic collapse in chip and technology stocks has triggered a wave of selling in the USA that has now also reached the stock exchanges in Asia and the Frankfurt trading floor.

The trigger was a massive price slide on Wall Street, where large tech and chip companies lost billions in market value within hours. The background is growing doubts among investors as to whether the billion-dollar investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and the construction of data centers will pay off.

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The uncertainty is further increased by the latest political developments in the USA. After the Democrats' victory in the midterm elections, the debate about regulation and location issues for new data centers is intensifying. Concerns are growing on the markets that political resistance could slow down the expansion of AI.

Investors' fear follows a simple chain, explains Stephan Kemper, chief investment strategist at BNP Paribas: "If approvals for electricity and buildings stall, the finished data center shells will be missing from 2028, and the high-performance chips bought on credit today will then be unable to generate any income." Stocks from manufacturers of memory and high-performance chips are therefore particularly under pressure.

Fear of AI regulation after the midterms: Price slide on the international stock markets Morning magazine, Das Erste, November 6th, 2026 • 8:00 a.m. "Black Swan" moment On Wall Street, the important technology index Nasdaq 100 fell 6.4 percent. This is the strongest daily loss since the Corona crash in March 2020. But the much-watched S&P 500 also had its blackest day since April 2025.

Financial professionals like Stephan Kemper therefore speak of a so-called black swan: "A market collapse of over four percent resulting from a phase of complete carelessness, accompanied by an extreme explosion of volatility." Now it is important not to panic. “Such painful adjustments are part of the stock market,” said Kemper.

As a result of the global sell-off in tech stocks, the South Korean stock market also came under significant pressure this morning. The leading Kospi index fell by up to almost nine percent in early trading and ended trading still a good six percent in the red. The Japanese leading index Nikkei 225 also fell six percent.

Due to the sharp price losses in the morning, the Seoul stock exchange suspended trading for 20 minutes. A so-called circuit breaker is intended to prevent panic selling from further destabilizing the market. The government called an emergency meeting with representatives of financial regulators and the central bank.

The price slide on the US stock markets at the start of trading also pushed the German leading index, which was recently at a record high, down - and thus back below the 26,000 point mark. The DAX lost up to two percent in early trading. Compared to the reactions in the USA or Asia, the decline was comparatively mild. Because: There are only a few large technology stocks represented in the DAX.

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The AI ​​company Anthropic actually wanted to go public in the next few weeks - the IPO is already eagerly awaited. But financial professionals believe the plans are in danger given the current market situation. The advertising tour planned for next week among lenders for an initial listing in November is on the brink, reports the Reuters news agency, citing insiders.

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Stock market: DAX outlook, Wall Street collapses | 11/6/26 | 6:11 a.m.NDR Info | News | 11/06/2026 | 8:00 a.m