STOCKS | AI Selloff Deepens as U.S. Treasury Yields Climb

AI stocks came under renewed selling pressure, with Samsung Electronics falling more than 4%, SK Hynix dropping more than 3.5%, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down 2.66% overnight. According to Sina Finance, Schroders fund manager Dorian Carrell said hyperscalers' off-balance-sheet financing has reached $1.5 trillion, while Goldman Sachs warned that debt issuance by hyperscale cloud companies and chipmakers could rise 40% year on year to about $340 billion in 2027. Carrell said the market is shifting from an era of low inflation, low rates, and effective 60/40 stock-bond allocation to a new environment of high deficits, high inflation, and high supply. He also said some companies' cash flow has turned from positive to negative and leverage is rising, citing Alphabet's issuance of 6% coupon convertible bonds to protect its credit rating. Goldman Sachs fixed-income credit trader and investment-grade credit specialist Jeffrey Papai warned that after about $300 billion of AI-related bond issuance this year, fourth-quarter supply will slow sharply, giving AI credit spreads a brief respite. He said the easing would be short-lived, and that 2027 issuance by hyperscale cloud companies and chipmakers could be about 40% higher than 2026. JPMorgan's Michael Cembalest estimated that the five hyperscale cloud companies plus Nvidia have issued about $320 billion of debt so far in 2026, including special purpose vehicles for data-center leases. He said the long-duration portion is equivalent to about $303 billion in 10-year terms, or 68% of the U.S. Treasury's new long-duration borrowing over the same period. U.S. Treasury yields have also risen as AI debt has grown, and the 30-year yield has reached a 19-year high. The 10-year yield is nearing 5%, its second time at that level since the 2008-2009 financial crisis, while Freddie Mac said the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.76% from 6.71% a week earlier.