European chip stocks fall as AI financing fears hit sentiment

BE Semiconductor Industries NV

Tue 10:03

** European semiconductor stocks fall amid investor concerns over AI financing and returns on capital spending, pulling Europe's benchmark tech index .SX8P 1.5% lower
** Siltronic WAFGn.DE drops 5.5%, ams-Osram AMS.S 5.0% and Soitec SOIT.PA 4.2%
** ASML ASML.AS, ASM International ASMI.AS, BE Semiconductor Industries BESI.AS, Infineon IFXGn.DE, STMicroelectronics STMPA.PA and VAT VACN.S slide 2-3%
** Metzler equity research analyst Veysel Taze says investor sentiment has swung to "fear and anxiety", decoupling from strong earnings at companies including TSMC 2330.TW, ASML and Aixtron AIXGn.DE
** Taze calls the selloff a "financing and valuation reset rather than a crack in physical chip demand"
** He also points to worries over stressed "neoclouds", newer cloud providers that rent out AI computing power, and a return-on-investment debate

(Reporting by Nathan Vifflin in Gdansk)
((nathan.vifflin@thomsonreuters.com; gdansk.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 769 67 13;))