Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Tensions Renew Strait of Hormuz Supply Fears 
Gold Prices Edge Higher as Dollar Weakens Ahead of Fed Minutes 
Oil Prices Rise as U.S.-Iran Tensions Grip Strait of Hormuz 
UK Wage Growth Holds at 3.5% as Unemployment Rises 
Oil Prices Rise as Iran-U.S. Tensions Threaten Strait of Hormuz Supply 
China Set to Hold Benchmark Lending Rates Steady for 15th Month 
European Stocks Slide as Iran War Escalation Sends Oil Higher 
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% in July as Energy Costs Climb 
European Stocks Edge Higher as Fed Rate Pause Bets Rise 
US Dollar Hovers Near Multi-Month Lows as Fed Rate Hike Bets Ease 
Dollar Slides as Soft U.S. Data Cuts Fed Rate Hike Bets 
US Stock Futures Mixed as Fed Rate Hike Bets Fade, AI Deals in Focus 
Wall Street Falls as Oil Prices Rise, Fed Minutes and Retail Earnings in Focus 
Gold Prices Hold Near $4,400 as Fed Rate Hike Bets Fade 
Gold Prices Slide as Treasury Yields Surge, Fed Minutes in Focus 
US Dollar Slips as Soft Economic Data Eases Fed Rate Hike Expectations 
US Eyes Refinery Boost as Trump Seeks Relief From High Gas Prices 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Asian technology and semiconductor stocks suffered steep losses on Wednesday as rising global bond yields intensified concerns over expensive AI-related valuations and higher financing costs across the technology sector.
Japan’s SoftBank Group dropped more than 10% following a Nikkei report that the investment giant plans to issue approximately 1 trillion yen ($6.26 billion) in corporate bonds targeting Japanese retail investors. The offering would reportedly become the largest retail corporate bond issuance ever by a Japanese company.
The broader Japanese semiconductor sector also came under heavy selling pressure. Renesas Electronics declined about 9%, while memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings plunged nearly 13%. The Nikkei 225 closed more than 3% lower, extending losses sparked by the technology-led downturn on Wall Street.
South Korean stocks experienced even sharper declines. The KOSPI sank more than 5%, with semiconductor heavyweight Samsung Electronics falling roughly 7.5% and SK Hynix losing nearly 10%.
Chip stocks in Hong Kong were similarly affected. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) declined around 6%, while Hua Hong Semiconductor tumbled nearly 14%.
The Asian technology selloff followed significant weakness among U.S. semiconductor stocks overnight. Nvidia fell 2.3%, Micron Technology dropped about 7%, and SanDisk declined roughly 9%, highlighting increasing investor caution toward companies exposed to the artificial intelligence boom.
Surging government bond yields added to market pressure. The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield briefly reached 5.337%, its highest level since 2007, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield hovered near 4.70%. Higher yields can weigh heavily on growth and AI stocks because their valuations often depend on earnings expected far into the future.
Despite continued strong demand for semiconductors, AI computing and data-center infrastructure, the latest market decline underscores how sensitive technology stocks have become to borrowing costs and interest-rate expectations following their substantial rally.
Investors are now closely watching the Federal Reserve’s July meeting minutes for additional signals about the U.S. interest-rate outlook and the potential direction of Treasury yields.
