Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTBarchart InsightsTue, June 23, 2026 at 3:50 PM GMT+2 2 min readU.S. equities opened sharply lower today, pressured by an accelerating global selloff in Big Tech and AI-linked semiconductor stocks, alongside a meaningful shift in macroeconomic expectations. The Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) is down more than 2.8% as investors rapidly de-risk high-multiple growth exposure following a wave of weakness that began overnight in Asia and spread across Europe.www.barchart.comThe epicenter of the decline is a broad-based unwind in AI and semiconductor names, driven by growing skepticism around the sustainability of massive capital expenditures tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure. South Korea's Kospi Index plunged 10%, triggering a temporary trading halt, with memory chip leaders Samsung and SK Hynix each falling more than 12%. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index dropped 3.6%, led by heavy losses in SoftBank, while European semiconductor leader ASML (ASML) is also under pressure, adding to the downside momentum in global chip stocks and weighing heavily on U.S. tech sentiment.More News from BarchartD-Wave Just Unveiled a Major Quantum Breakthrough. QBTS Stock Looks Ready for Another Surge.Micron Technology Earnings: Bull Put Spread Trade