On the afternoon of July 16th, the A-share and Hong Kong stock technology sectors suffered a devastating sell-off. The STAR Market 50 Index plummeted, and the ChiNext Index fell by more than 5%. This indiscriminate bleeding in the hard technology sector was essentially a liquidity stampede triggered by the convergence of three negative factors: global semiconductor deleveraging, overseas geopolitical and judicial regulatory storms, and the transmission of valuations from the primary market to the secondary market. Funds engaged in indiscriminate risk aversion during this sensitive period, with highly concentrated hard technology indices like the STAR Market 50 and ChiNext becoming the hardest hit.
Furthermore, when high-flying hard technology and AI computing power chains experienced a "run" due to macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds, previously profitable long positions (such as quantitative private equity funds and multi-strategy hedge funds) faced immense redemption and risk control pressure. To cope with the pullback, funds were forced to sell stocks across sectors to cash out, causing other sectors that were already at low levels to also experience liquidity withdrawal, leading to a sharp widening of the afternoon decline in the Shanghai Composite Index and Shenzhen Component Index.
The current sell-off in A-share technology stocks is mainly driven by the forced liquidation of leveraged long positions and the passive reduction of holdings by mutual funds. Before the decline of overseas semiconductor giants stops and the valuation center of the domestic memory industry chain is reshaped, the technology sector will still need to undergo a round of share clearing in the short term.
