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Tech sell-off deepens in Asia as US inflation rises to 3.7%

South Korea's Kospi 200 fell more than 8% and Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 4.9% as investors weighed inflation, Fed rate-hike bets and AI-sector risks.

Updated Oct 15, 2026 · 08:39 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • Tech shares sold off across Asia on Thursday after a hotter-than-expected US inflation reading, with South Korea's Kospi 200 falling more than 8% to a six-month closing low.[Associated Press · The Guardian]
  • Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 4.9%, with memory-chip maker Kioxia and SoftBank, an investor in OpenAI, falling about 11% and 10%.[The Guardian]
  • Investors now anticipate possible further Federal Reserve rate increases, and the IMF has warned that an AI share price crash could spread across global markets.[The Guardian]

Key facts

  • US consumer price inflation rose 3.7% year-on-year in September, up from 3.4% in August and above economists' expectations.[Associated Press · The Guardian]
  • South Korea's Kospi 200 fell more than 8% overnight to a six-month closing low, and circuit breakers halted trading at various points.[The Guardian]
  • SK Hynix plunged nearly 11% and Samsung Electronics fell about 9.5% in the sell-off.[The Guardian]
  • Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 4.9% on Thursday, after Kioxia fell 11% and SoftBank fell 10%.[The Guardian]
  • On the previous day, the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.9% and the S&P 500 dropped 1.1%, the worst session since July.[The Guardian]
  • The IMF warned that the threat of an AI share price crash rippling across global markets puts world financial stability at risk.[The Guardian]
  • Investors are expecting possible further Federal Reserve rate increases, with some pricing in another increase as soon as the end of the month.[The Guardian]
  • China's Shanghai CSI 300 slipped as much as 2.4%, its lowest level since August 2025.[The Guardian]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether the Federal Reserve will raise rates again is unknown; the reported expectations reflect investor pricing, not a policy decision.[The Guardian]
  • The view that inflation reflects broad-based price moves is Deutsche Bank analysts' assessment, not an official finding.[The Guardian]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.