SEOUL, Feb 8, 2026, 00:42 KST — The session has ended.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) ended Friday at 158,600 won, slipping 0.44%. The stock moved between 151,600 and 160,300 won over the session. Roughly 36 million shares changed hands. 1
Seoul markets are closed for the weekend. The focus shifts to Monday, when attention turns not so much to any single news item, but to whether the AI trade manages to hold steady.
Why now? Samsung sits at the center of a crowded trade—investors are piling into the stock as a liquid stand-in for the idea that AI-driven demand will keep boosting memory chip sales, even while some pull away from tech names they believe AI might leave behind. The “AI trade,” as it’s called, boils down to snapping up stocks with the most to gain from artificial intelligence.
Trade patterns are starting to diverge, according to a Reuters analysis published Friday. South Korea’s Kospi has surged 20.8% since January, while some major U.S. tech names have trailed behind. Samsung’s stock has jumped roughly 32% year-to-date, with SK Hynix not far behind, up 29%. “Investors are differentiating between who enables AI and who may be disrupted,” Saxo’s chief investment strategist Charu Chanana said. 2
The tape set the tone on Friday. Kospi dropped 1.4% that session, closing the week down 2.6%. Samsung and SK Hynix each shed 0.4%, according to Reuters. “With U.S. tech wobbling, sentiments tend to trickle over to Asian tech,” eToro’s Zavier Wong said. The won lingered close to 1,470.60 per dollar. 3
There’s a tug-of-war in play for the stock: the memory chip shortage keeping prices high is also pinching smartphone makers. Reuters separately reported AI data centers are snapping up DRAM — the same chips that phones rely on to handle demanding apps. IDC now sees the shortage leading to the first drop in global smartphone shipments since 2023. “We’re observing Apple and Samsung,” eMarketer analyst Gadjo Sevilla said, pointing to the ripple effect if either company shifts prices. 4
In manufacturing, Korea JoongAng Daily says Samsung has landed a temporary occupancy approval for part of its chip facility in Taylor, Texas—potentially opening the door to some operations before the site is fully finished. A city official in Taylor told the outlet about 88,000 square feet have been cleared to this point. 5
Nomura’s tech tour is on Samsung’s investor relations calendar for Feb. 10. 6
This early in the week, traders are scanning for signals—anything that shifts the outlook on chip demand or prices, tighter or looser. The real drivers, though, will probably be global tech risk appetite and how the dollar trades against the won.
The bullish scenario has its limits. Relentless skepticism about big AI spending could knock chip stocks lower, even in the absence of negative headlines. Another slide in U.S. tech? That wouldn’t make things easier.
Samsung shares resume trading Monday, Feb. 9. Chip stocks will be watched for any momentum, and investors are also looking for signals ahead of the Feb. 10 event.
