The AI memory sector is seeing a sharp selloff after $SanDisk Corp.(SNDK)$ and $Western Digital(WDC)$ delivered guidance that failed to meet sky-high investor expectations.
The selling spread across global markets, with SK Hynix plunging more than 9% in Korea, dragging down the KOSPI, while U.S. after-hours and 24-hour trading also saw broad declines across the memory sector.
📉 24-hour trading performance:
• Western Digital ($WDC): -11.15%
• SanDisk ($SNDK): -7.82%
• SK Hynix ADR ($SKHY): -4.66%
• Roundhill Memory ETF ($DRAM): -4.82%
• Micron ($MU): -2.15%
• Seagate ($STX): -1.92%
• CXMT: -4.09%
What happened?
The AI memory sector had rallied aggressively on booming demand for HBM and enterprise SSDs, leaving valuations extremely stretched.
When SanDisk and Western Digital reported results, their earnings were solid, but their future guidance failed to exceed the market's most optimistic expectations.
This triggered a classic valuation reset. Investors rushed to lock in profits, while leveraged traders and quantitative funds accelerated the selling, creating a chain reaction across U.S., Korean, and Asian markets.
📌 Key takeaway:
This doesn't necessarily mean AI memory demand is weakening. Instead, the market is adjusting from "priced for perfection" valuations. Even strong companies can see sharp declines if future expectations are not exceeded.
Comments