AI chip stocks diverge: Samsung surges 7% while Tokyo Electron drops 2.5%

For the AI industry, the divergent moves in chip stocks serve as a real-time heatmap of infrastructure investment sentiment. Samsung’s 7% pop and SK Hynix’s 4.9% gain on Friday reflect enduring confidence in memory demand for AI data centers, while Tokyo Electron’s 2.5% drop raises questions about near-term spending on chipmaking equipment. Kioxia’s 6.6% surge adds another layer, emphasizing that memory makers tied to NAND flash for AI training and inference are still in favor.

Asian equity markets rallied on Friday, July 3, 2026, with the Kospi recovering 2.8% from a sharp 8% plunge the previous day, as investors reacted to a record close on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a softer-than-expected U.S. jobs report that eased fears of aggressive Federal Reserve tightening. The Dow surged 1.1% to finish at 52,900.07, its highest level ever, while the S&P 500 edged up less than 0.1% to 7,483.24 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.8% to 25,382.67. This mixed performance in U.S. equities reflected a rotation away from high-flying AI chip names even as the broader market found support from labor market data.

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The Dow surged 1.1% to finish at 52,900.07, its highest level ever, while the S&P 500 edged up less than 0.1% to 7,483.24 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.8% to 25,382.67.

The Labor Department reported that employers added only 57,000 jobs in June, far below the 100,000 consensus estimate and a deceleration from May’s pace. Weak hiring numbers typically signal slower economic growth, but in this case they were greeted positively because they reduced the likelihood that the Federal Reserve would need to raise interest rates several more times this year. Inflation has been a persistent concern, stoked by oil price spikes linked to the war with Iran. However, oil prices have since retreated below pre-war levels, offering hope that headline inflation will cool in the coming months and giving the Fed room to pause.

Asian markets, which had sold off sharply on Thursday partly due to profit-taking in AI-tech stocks, bounced back on Friday. South Korea’s Kospi index closed at 7,863.22, a 2.8% gain, led by Samsung Electronics’ 7% surge and SK Hynix’s 4.9% rise. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 added 0.9% to 69,368.30, but the tech-heavy segment was bifurcated: memory maker Kioxia jumped 6.6%, while equipment supplier Tokyo Electron slid 2.5%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1.7% to 23,444.45, and the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 4,056.81. Taiwan’s Taiex bucked the trend, falling 0.6%, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 1.3% to 8,834.90.