Asian markets mixed, South Korea’s Kospi plunges 4%

Asian equities presented a divided picture on Tuesday, with South Korea’s Kospi dropping 3.57% as weakness in US technology shares affected sentiment, Mettis Global reported. Samsung Electronics lost 4.04% and the Kosdaq fell 2.53%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.39%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.52%; mainland China’s CSI 300 slipped and Japanese markets were shut for a holiday.

The regional moves followed declines in the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500, down 1.07% and 0.51%, respectively, while the Dow advanced 0.41%. Investors were also watching the US midterm elections, corporate earnings and upcoming JOLTS and factory-orders data. JPMorgan said a Democratic victory in both chambers of Congress could put pressure on artificial-intelligence shares, while strategists said election outcomes could influence equity volatility.