Chipmaker stocks dive following US policy rumors

[LAUREN TAYLOR]
SEMICONDUCTOR SHARES HAVE BEEN ON A WILD RIDE THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

YESTERDAY WAS ROUGH. FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP MADE WAVES BY SAYING HE WOULDN’T DEFEND TAIWAN AGAINST CHINA IN A SECOND TERM UNLESS TAIWAN PAID FOR ITS “PROTECTION.” THEN, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S ADMINISTRATION ADDED TO THE CHAOS, REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING NEW EXPORT CONTROLS ON ADVANCED CHIP TECHNOLOGY TO CHINA.

BLOOMBERG REPORTS THE U.S. MIGHT USE THE ‘FOREIGN DIRECT PRODUCT RULE’ TO STOP MAJOR CHIP-MAKING EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS FROM PLACES LIKE JAPAN AND THE NETHERLANDS FROM GIVING CHINESE CHIPMAKERS ACCESS TO ANY AMERICAN TECH.

THIS RULE WOULD LET THE U.S. IMPOSE CONTROLS ON FOREIGN-MADE PRODUCTS THAT USE EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT OF AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY.

THE MARKET REACTION HAS BEEN SWIFT AND UNFORGIVING.

DUTCH FIRM ASML’S SHARES TOOK A HIT, DROPPING 12.7%, AND TOKYO ELECTRON FELL 8.7%. AMERICAN CHIP EQUIPMENT MAKERS LIKE APPLIED MATERIALS, LAM, AND KLA ALSO FACED LOSSES, EACH FALLING AROUND 10%.

MEANWHILE TAIWAN’S TSMC, THE WORLD’S LARGEST CONTRACT CHIPMAKER, SAW AN 8% DROP, AND NVIDIA, WHICH DEPENDS ON TSMC FOR ITS AI CHIPS, FELL 6.6%. THE NASDAQ OVERALL CLOSED DOWN 2.8% WEDNESDAY, ITS WORST DAY SINCE 2022 — DEFINITELY A ROUGH DAY ON THE MARKET.

TODAY BROUGHT SOME RELIEF. MOST OF YESTERDAY’S LOSERS SAW PARTIAL RECOVERIES — BUT THE RELIEF WAS SHORT-LIVED. SHARES FELL AGAIN AS INVESTORS REMAINED WARY OF LOOMING U.S. POLICY CHANGES.

AT A REGULAR PRESS BRIEFING IN BEIJING ON WEDNESDAY, CHINA’S FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN ACCUSED THE U.S. OF “POLITICIZING TRADE AND NATIONAL SECURITY.” HE URGED OTHER COUNTRIES TO “RESIST COERCION” AND SUPPORT A FAIR, OPEN INTERNATIONAL TRADE ORDER TO PROTECT THEIR LONG-TERM INTERESTS.