TradingKey – On August 18, Japanese and South Korean stock markets closed lower across the board, with the Nikkei 225 Index (JPN225) closing down 2.54% at 67,460.73; South Korea’s KOSPI Index closed down 1.55% at 6,869.80.

The South Korean market demonstrated a clear rally-and-retreat pattern, with the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) surging over 2% in early trading to reclaim the 7,100 mark before quickly reversing lower as selling pressure mounted.

Source: TradingView

South Korean semiconductor stocks showed divergent performance, with SK Hynix bucking the trend to rise 1.03%, closing at 1,662,000 won (about $1,177), while Samsung Electronics fell 2.19% to close at 268,500 won.

Japanese tech stocks registered steeper declines,…