ASML Holding NV (ASML) saw its shares plummet 5.02% during intraday trading on Tuesday, marking a significant decline for the semiconductor equipment giant.
The sharp drop was part of a broad selloff in global semiconductor and AI-related stocks, triggered by a steep decline in Samsung Electronics' share price following its second-quarter earnings report. Despite posting a massive 1,810% year-over-year surge in operating profit, Samsung's stock plunged approximately 10%, an event market participants characterized as a classic "sell-the-news" reaction where stellar results had already been priced in during a prior rally. This contagion spread to the broader sector, dragging down European chip stocks including ASML, Infineon, and STMicroelectronics.
Analysts noted the selloff reflects a market where expectations had begun to outrun fundamentals, leading to profit-taking in AI hardware stocks that had seen parabolic gains. The decline extended to U.S. chipmakers and equipment suppliers in pre-market trading, indicating a synchronized global pullback in technology shares.