MPC Markets Morning Call — 24 June 2026: Global Stocks Get Chip-Wrecked

The headline writers got their byline this morning: markets got chip-wrecked. South Korea's KOSPI triggered circuit breakers and suffered its second-worst session in history — down 10% — after a local report claimed SK Hynix is shifting production away from AI memory chips (HBM) and back to cheaper commodity DRAM. Samsung copped the same treatment. Both stocks make up roughly half the index, so it was carnage.

The damage spread fast. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) dropped 8%, Micron fell 13%, and the Nasdaq lost 2.2%. But outside the chip stocks? The market was surprisingly resilient. Microsoft was up. IBM gained 5%. Healthcare and consumer staples found buyers. The S&P 500 only fell 1.29% — not the sea of red you'd expect from that kind of Asian session.

Mark breaks down why the KOSPI is a structurally volatile market — heavy retail options usage, extreme concentration — and why its moves should be read carefully, not reacted to. He also puts the SOX in perspective: even after last night's 8% fall, it's still up 157% over the past 12 months and 80%+ since April. MPC had already reduced its chip exposure earlier in the week — AMD, TSM, Lam Research, and Palantir were all trimmed or sold.

In Australia, CPI for May drops today. The market's expecting headline inflation at 4.3% year-on-year, with the trimmed mean at 0.3% month-on-month. RBA Deputy Governor Andrew Hauser also speaks. And Micron reports after the US close tonight — that one matters. A bad number and nobody wants to think about what happens to the SOX.

SpaceX joins the Russell Index on Friday. Bond yields remain stubborn. The US dollar had one of its better weeks in a long time, which is hammering silver, copper, lithium, and uranium. And KMD Brands is doing a 1-for-25 share consolidation while Sonic Healthcare got a Citi downgrade.

In this episode: KOSPI circuit breaker explained · SOX 12-month context · MPC's chip trade trimming · Australia May CPI preview · Micron earnings risk · SpaceX Russell inclusion · AUD under pressure · RBA Deputy Governor Hauser watch

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