South Korean Markets Plunge Over 8% in Single Day Despite Strong Annual Performance

South Korea's main stock index crashed more than 8% on Monday, demonstrating the volatility possible in equity markets despite strong overall performance. The dramatic single-day loss came even as the index has gained 74% since the beginning of the year when the Monday decline is factored in. Two-fifths of the index consists of semiconductor manufacturers Samsung and SK Hynix. The sharp drop followed a sell-off on American stock exchanges on Friday, with technology stocks bearing the brunt of the losses.