Global Market: Japan's Nikkei falls 2% as Samsung slump sparks chipmaker selloff

Japan's Nikkei fell 2.12% to close at 68,256.96, dragged down by a sharp selloff in chipmakers after Samsung Electronics slumped despite forecasting a 19-fold jump in second-quarter operating profit. Chip-related stocks bore the brunt, with Kioxia dropping 11.26%, Tokyo Electron falling 3.94% and Advantest losing 2.25%, while South Korea's KOSPI fell as much as 8%, triggering circuit breakers for the sixth time this year. Investors rotated into undervalued financial and value stocks, lifting Mitsubishi UFJ by 2.26% and Nomura Holdings by 3%, though broader sentiment remained cautious on AI-related profit-taking.