Global markets today: Asian markets opened lower on Tuesday, October 20, tracking a weaker regional sentiment. The subdued start contrasted with overnight gains on Wall Street, where the Nasdaq advanced 1.11%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.41%.
South Korea’s KOSPI plunged 3.5% at the opening bell, extending losses in semiconductor stocks and trimming its 2026 gains to around 31%, down sharply from nearly 116% at its record closing high in June. While the small-cap Kosdaq declined 1.03%. Among major stocks, memory chipmaker SK Hynix fell 4.07%, while Samsung Electronics shed 1.03%.
Japanese markets also traded lower in morning deals, with the Nikkei 225 declining 1.21%, as weakness in technology and semiconductor-related stocks dragged on sentiment. SoftBank Group tumbled 4.46%, while chipmaking equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron fell 1.45% and Renesas Electronics dropped 1.49%.
Meanwhile, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 0.84% in early trading. Meanwhile, Taiwan index Taiex turned positive by rising 0.30% after opening in red.
Back home, GIFT Nifty was also trading flat-to-negative in early morning session on Tuesday, with the index down 3 points or 0.01% to 22,889. However, the Indian stock market will remain closed for trading today on account of Dussehra.