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Fri, 26 Jun 2026

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 Asia stock markets slide as tech shares slump

Trading on South Korea's Kospi index was halted for the third time this week to prevent panic selling.

* Asian stock markets fell sharply on Friday, with technology firms leading the decline
* South Korea's Kospi was temporarily halted after an 8% fall in the benchmark index triggered a mechanism to curb panic selling
* The index closed 5.8% lower, with other major indexes in the region also sharply lower
* Traders are reassessing valuations of tech stocks and taking profits after a recent rally
* Concerns about rising component prices and high costs of commercializing AI tools have contributed to the sell-off
* Apple shares fell by 6% on Thursday, its biggest one-day fall in over a year, after it announced higher prices for iPads and MacBooks
* Microsoft shares also fell after it announced higher prices for Xbox gaming consoles.