Samsung Profit Spark, AI Chip Stocks Pause

Samsung reported a Q2 operating profit of 89.4 trillion won (about $58.4 billion) and revenue of 171 trillion won, driven by strong AI memory demand, but AI memory and broader chip stocks nonetheless fell in Korea and the US as investors lagged behind the rally and questioned whether the AI infrastructure boom was already priced in. Major declines hit Samsung, SK hynix, Micron, Western Digital, Seagate, and Sandisk, with Nvidia, AMD, Marvell, Intel, Lam Research, Applied Materials, and ASML also trading lower.