A selloff in equities spread to Asia after chip stocks tumbled on Wall Street, as hotter-than-expected US inflation fueled bets on more aggressive Federal Reserve rate hikes. Treasuries rallied.
MSCI Inc.’s Asia Pacific equities gauge dropped 1.5%, heading for a fourth straight decline, led by losses in South Korea, a bellwether for artificial intelligence investment. The Kospi Index slumped as much as 6.5% to its lowest since late July, with chip heavyweights Samsung Electronics Co. and SK Hynix Inc. tumbling at least 7%.
