AI Chip Suppliers Face Sharp Decline Amid Market Stability

WHO:

Yahoo Finance - The PHLX Semiconductor Index (^SOX), SK Hynix (SKHY), Micron Technology (MU), Sandisk (SNDK), Nvidia (NVDA), Broadcom (AVGO), Federal Reserve, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Apple.

Seeking Alpha - Ichor Holdings, NVIDIA, Steven Cress (VP of Quantitative Strategy), Nicole Benjamin (host).

WHAT:

Techmeme - Kioxia is expected to see a 30-fold jump in operating income in Q1 FY 2026.

Techmeme - ChipAgents raised a $60 million Series A2 led by B Capital, bringing the total expanded round to $134 million.

Yahoo Finance - The PHLX Semiconductor Index (^SOX) briefly broke below 11,000, marking a decline of over 25% from its June peak.

Yahoo Finance - The Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) is down over 40% from its June high.

CNBC - SoftBank Group lost nearly 10% during the recent sell-off.

CNBC - Japan's Kioxia is expected to see a 30-fold jump in operating income in Q1 FY 2026.

CNBC - SK Hynix slid more than 15% after the chip giant missed analysts' estimates despite posting record quarterly profit and revenue.

CNBC - Samsung Electronics lost over 8%, while LG Innotek fell 15% and Seoul Semiconductor dropped 10%.

CNBC - Japan's computer memory manufacturer Kioxia was down 14%, and Tokyo Electron fell 12.6%.

CNBC - SoftBank Group lost nearly 10%.

CNBC - Taiwan's TSMC was 3.9% lower.

CNBC - The Hang Seng China Semiconductor Chips Index fell more than 6%.

Yahoo Finance - The PHLX Semiconductor Index (^SOX) fell over 25% from its June peak, briefly breaking below 11,000.

Yahoo Finance - The Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) fell roughly 11% and is down over 40% from its June high.

Yahoo Finance - SK Hynix fell to an all-time low in US trading after dropping below the $149 offering price from its US debut.

Yahoo Finance - Micron Technology has lost over $450 billion in market value since its June record high.

Yahoo Finance - Sandisk has been more than cut in half since its late-June high.

Yahoo Finance - The S&P 500 equal-weight index (^SP500EW) rallied 1% to a record high.

Seeking Alpha - Ichor Holdings has a market cap of just over $3 billion and is rated a Strong Buy in the July Alpha Picks.

WHERE:

Yahoo Finance - The events are occurring in the US and South Korea, specifically mentioning US trading for SK Hynix.

WHEN:

Yahoo Finance - The Federal Reserve is set to announce its rate decision on a Wednesday, with Microsoft and Meta reporting after the bell, followed by Amazon and Apple on Thursday afternoon.

WHY:

CNBC - Kieron Poon stated that the recent volatility in Asian chip stocks "has not changed our long-term positive view."

CNBC - The latest weakness in Asian chip stocks reflects "the ongoing deleveraging process in Korea and softer sentiment towards global technology stocks," according to Kieron Poon, investment director of Asian equities at Aberdeen Investments.

CNBC - David Riedel, founder and president of Riedel Research Group, stated that the recent pullback in AI-related chip stocks reflects investors "giving back a little bit of the froth that was in the AI market."

Yahoo Finance - The semiconductor stocks are experiencing a decline due to a wave of selling that has affected the market.

Seeking Alpha - Ichor Holdings is positioned to capture the massive AI CapEx boom, benefiting from increased spending by larger semiconductor companies.

HOW:

Seeking Alpha - Ichor Holdings services, designs, and manufactures supplies used by companies like NVIDIA, benefiting from their capital expenditures.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 17:23 UTC)

Kioxia is projected to experience a remarkable thirty-fold increase in operating income in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026. Meanwhile, ChipAgents has successfully raised sixty million dollars in a Series A2 funding round led by B Capital, bringing the total for this expanded round to one hundred thirty-four million dollars. These developments highlight significant financial movements within the tech industry.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 07:55 UTC)

The PHLX Semiconductor Index briefly dipped below 11,000, reflecting a decline of over 25% from its peak in June, while the Roundhill Memory ETF has fallen more than 40% since that same high. In the midst of this sell-off, SoftBank Group experienced a nearly 10% loss, but Japan's Kioxia is projected to see a remarkable 30-fold increase in operating income in the first quarter of FY 2026. Despite the recent volatility in Asian chip stocks, Kieron Poon emphasized that their long-term positive outlook remains unchanged.

(UPDATED July 29, 2026 05:53 UTC)

Asian chip stocks faced significant declines today, with SK Hynix dropping more than 15% after missing analysts' estimates despite reporting record quarterly profits and revenue. Other major players also saw losses, including Samsung Electronics, which fell over 8%, and Japan's Kioxia, down 14%. Experts attribute this weakness to ongoing deleveraging in Korea and a shift in investor sentiment towards global technology stocks, as noted by Kieron Poon from Aberdeen Investments.

(UPDATED July 28, 2026 19:31 UTC)

The PHLX Semiconductor Index has seen a significant decline, falling over 25% from its June peak and briefly dipping below 11,000, while SK Hynix hit an all-time low in US trading after dropping below its debut offering price. In contrast, the S&P 500 equal-weight index rallied 1% to reach a record high, and Ichor Holdings, rated a Strong Buy, is positioned to benefit from the growing AI capital expenditures among major semiconductor firms. The Federal Reserve is set to announce its rate decision on an upcoming Wednesday, with Microsoft and Meta reporting after the bell, followed by Amazon and Apple the next afternoon.