Bitcoin plunges up to 8% and South Korea’s Kospi sinks nearly 4% in the latest tech-led sell-off

Bitcoin plunges up to 8% and South Korea’s Kospi sinks nearly 4% in the latest tech-led sell-off 1 of 4 | A currency traders watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi), left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) 2 of 4 | Specialist Anthony Matesic works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 3 of 4 | A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 4 of 4 | Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi), top right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) 1 of 4 A currency traders watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi), left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 4 Specialist Anthony Matesic works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 4 A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 4 Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi), top right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Shares retreated Thursday in Asia on heavy selling of technology stocks, while the price of Bitcoin fell as much as 8%. The latest round of jitters over high prices for tech shares sent South Korea’s Kospi down nearly 4%, while U.S. futures edged lower. Oil prices sank more than $1 a barrel.Bitcoin was trading near $71,000 early Thursday, down 7% after crashing to about $69,000 earlier in the day, according to CoinDesk. That’s its lowest level since November 2024. In share trading, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 shed 0.9% to 53,818.04, while the Kospi in South Korea skidded 3.9%, to 5,163.57.Shares in South Korea’s biggest company, Samsung Electronics, lost 5.9%. Chip maker SK Hynix plunged 6.7%. Chinese markets also retreated, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng falling 0.3% to 26,761.00. The Shanghai Composite index gave up 0.6% to 4,079.68.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.4% to 8,889.20, while Taiwan’s Taiex lost 1.5%. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.5% for its fifth modest loss in the last six days, closing at 6,882.72. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5% to 49,501.30 and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.5% to 22,904.58. More than twice as many stocks rose within the S&P 500 than fell, but sinking technology stocks weighed on the index for a second straight day.Advanced Micro Devices dropped 17.3% even though the chip company reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also gave a forecast for revenue for the start of 2026 that topped analysts’ expectations, but that may not have satisfied investors after its stock doubled over the last 12 months. Tech stocks are under pressure even when they deliver stronger-than-expected profits after their prices shot higher as they’ve grown to dominate markets. Companies like software makers, meanwhile, are struggling with questions about whether they’ll lose in the future to competitors powered by artificial-intelligence technology. Uber Technologies also dragged on the market after falling 5.1%. The ride-hailing company reported results for the latest quarter that fell short of analysts’ expectations. It also gave a forecast for profit in the current quarter that was below analysts’ expectations, while naming a new chief financial officer. Some tech stocks nevertheless climbed, including a 13.8% rise for Super Micro Computer. The company, which sells AI servers and other equipment, delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Walmart edged up by 0.2%, a day after its total market value topped $1 trillion for the first time. The retailer has broken into a small club dominated by Big Tech companies like Nvidia and Apple, which are each worth more than $4 trillion. In other dealings early Thursday, U.S. benchmark crude oil fell $1.37 to $63.77 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $1.47 to $67.99 per barrel.Prices of precious metals resumed their roller coaster ride, as gold fell 0.3% while silver dropped 7%. Their prices had surged as investors looked for safer places to keep their money amid worries about everything from tariffs to a weaker U.S. dollar to heavy debt loads for governments worldwide. But critics said their prices rose too far, too fast and were due for a pullback.The dollar rose to 157.00 Japanese yen from 156.80 yen. The euro fell to $1.1790 from $1.1804. Based in Bangkok, Kurtenbach is the AP’s business editor for Asia, helping to improve and expand our coverage of regional economies, climate change and the transition toward carbon-free energy. She has been covering economic, social, environmental and political trends in China, Japan and Southeast Asia throughout her career.