Chip stocks slip as Taiwan tensions mount.

$Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM.US)$ $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$ $Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares ETF (SOXL.US)$ Semiconductor stocks fell globally on Tuesday as an expected visit by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan fueled a fresh escalation in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

China views the visit by Pelosi, a long-time critic of Beijing, as sending an encouraging signal to the pro-independence camp in Taiwan and has repeatedly warned against it.
TSM and peer United Microelectronics Corp $Tradeweb Markets (TW.US)$ . Shares of the companies fell 2.4% and 3%, respectively.

Taiwanese stocks dropped 1.6%, marking their biggest percentage decline in three weeks, while Chinese stocks posted their biggest fall in more than two months on mounting geopolitical tensions.

"Chip stocks are really exposed to Asia. Some of them, especially chip equipment companies, have 70% of their sales in that region so it's a big deal for them," said Jack DeGan, chief investment officer at Harbor Advisory.