Leading Chinese brokerages have expressed optimism for domestic tech shares traded in August, distinguishing them from the sharp sell-off that has rattled South Korean financial markets. The comments, published on Sunday, came after global markets experienced a sell-off in semiconductor shares in July, as investors rushed to lock in profits following a strong surge in chip stocks. Despite a rally over the last few days, the memory chip-heavy Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) suffered a 22 per cent monthly loss, its steepest decline since the global financial crisis. China’s CSI 300 Index also posted a 7.9 per cent fall, while the S&P 500 Index in the United States slipped 0.1 per cent, its worst July performance since 2014. In Asian trading on Monday, Kospi fell over 5 per cent, while the mainland’s CSI 300 slid 0.98 per cent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index inched up 0.48 per cent.